


Start of Something New

by SunshineScorpius



Series: New Beginnings [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Anxiety, Depression, Gryffindor Albus Severus Potter, Healing, Heartbreak, Hurt, Love, M/M, Moving On, Not Beta'd, Past Relationships, Pining, Pre-Slash, Slow Burn, Slytherin Scorpius Malfoy, We Die Like Men, cursed child non compliant, turned slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:29:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 68,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineScorpius/pseuds/SunshineScorpius
Summary: Neither boy was looking for love. Scorpius was broken from his previous relationship. Albus was confused and struggling with his identity. However, their two paths have crossed, and nobody chooses how or when they fall in love, or who they fall in love with.





	1. Quidditch Qualms

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ya'll! This is a follow on from What if This is all the Love You Ever Get?, which I suggest reading because it gives a background of all the characters and stuff! It's only a short chapter and helps with context, and will be referenced too throughout this story.  
> There is anxiety and some depressive thoughts throughout the story, so here is your warning. I will also put separate warnings on more triggering chapters but there's nothing major, just stay safe kids!  
> I love you all and hope you really enjoy it! Leave kudos and I will happily here any comments - negative or positive - that you may have!  
> ALSO! My friend has been drawing art for this story, so see that at the end of the chapter! Her tumblr is: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ and she posts some others of her art pieces on there!  
> Enjoy!

“Potter and Malfoy have both spotted the snitch and are neck and neck to reach it!” Sounded the Quidditch commentator, Hugo Granger-Weasley as the crowd around him both cheered and booed for their opposite houses.

Scorpius caught Albus’ smirk out the corner of his eyes and he retorted by huffing out his nose in faux annoyance. _What a tosser,_ Scorpius thought, not that he really thought that. Scorpius pushed on, following the snitch as it nose-dived towards the grounds. Albus was hot in his heels, but Scorpius had no more of an inch advantage. He heard Albus swear just behind him and Scorpius couldn’t help but laugh. They may have been friends, but on the pitch, it was every man for themselves.

“Malfoy no doubt has this snitch in the bag,” announced Hugo. “Slytherin team captain Nathan Parkinson prepares himself for one last attempt at distracting Potter with a bludger as the Gryffindor chasers are desperate to get in a few more goals, as though that will help them this late in the game. The only thing saving Gryffindor at this point is if Potter catches the snitch and- oooh. That's going to hurt.”

Scorpius could taste blood in his mouth as he collided harshly with the grounds of the Quidditch pitch. Thankfully, the snitch was flying low, so the fall wasn’t too drastic, it was more the hit from the bludger that hurt. A wave of vertigo washed over him and Scorpius rolled onto his stomach, propped himself up on his knees and waited for the nausea to pass. Scorpius spluttered blood on the floor, trying to catch his breath by coughing; the bludger left him winded. Pain ebbed through his stomach and ankle as he dry-heaved, which turned into a violent cough. Scorpius collapsed onto his back once the nausea had eased, trying to steady his breathing through the pain.

“Was that a direct attack on his own team member? Everyone knows the beef between team captain Parkinson, Seeker Malfoy and Keeper Zabini, but are tensions high enough to potentially cost your own team the cup, Parkinson?” Scorpius wished with all his might that Hugo would just shut the _fuck_ up. Not only was his relationship – or current lack thereof – not of his or anybody else’s damn business, but his voice was cutting through his headache and making him feel worse.

The pain started in his ribs where the bludger initially hit, but the harsh and unfortunate landing meant his ankle now seared with pain.

“What is Albus Potter doing?” Hugo asked over the microphone. _Probably winning,_ Scorpius thought bitterly, clenching his teeth as the pain ripped through him.

 _Just get up, you wimp,_ he told himself. Scorpius took a deep breath – Hugo hadn’t announced that Albus had caught the snitch which meant the game could not have been over yet. If he could just get up, swallow the pain and mount his broom, there was still chance for Slytherin to win the cup. Scorpius snapped his eyes open, and funnily enough, there was Albus Potter. He was standing over him, eyes wide with worry.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice genuine. Scorpius grimaced.

“Fabulous,” he managed, shooting a small smile up at Albus. Albus held his hand out which Scorpius gratefully took, ignoring the warmth it sent through him. With a lot of groaning and muffled screams, Scorpius was standing on his feet – his foot. The one he landed on was not looking too peachy, but he could get that checked out afterwards.

“What are you doing?” Scorpius asked Albus as the game finally come to a halt, Madame Hooch touching down to check on them both.

“What do you mean?”

“You could have won, you idiot,” there was no harshness to his tone, only slight humour.

“Your own team just bludgered you off your broom, idiot,” he retorted with the same tone, “someone had to help. Besides, we’ve played poorly, we don’t deserve to win. Ten more points from Slytherin and it doesn’t matter which of us catches the snitch because you’d have won,” he had a point. Not that Scorpius was going to admit that.

Albus helped Scorpius back over to his broom, he had rolled quite the distance from it. Madame Hooch had finally made her way over.

“Are you alright, Mr Malfoy?” She asked, giving him the once over.

“Yes, Professor, I’m ready to carry on.”

“With that injury, no way! You need the infirmary,” Albus protested, pointing suggestively at his foot and the very obvious way he couldn’t put any weight on it.

“And I’ll go after the match, I don’t need my feet to fly,” he raised his eyebrows in a smug look and Albus rolled his eyes. Madame Hooch was happy to watch the two boys’ bicker. She knew Scorpius and his stubborn ways, if he said he was getting back on that broom, there was no use in arguing. She had tried and failed many times before. The rest of their teams hovered stationary above them, waiting for the match to resume.

“And what about your ribs? That bludger hit you square on. They’re probably broken,” Albus protested again, going to lift Scorpius shirt to inspect his injuries. Scorpius grinned at him and rolled his eyes. He didn’t know why Albus cared so much, but after all he’s been through in the past week or so, it was nice that someone did.

“If you wanted to take my shirt off you could have just asked,” Scorpius said, playfully, winking at Albus. Albus shot him a deadly look and rolled his eyes.

“Fine, have it your way. But, don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re injured.”

“I would never expect that of you, Potter,” Scorpius smirked and picked up his broom with a groan. They both mounted, sending each other one last smirk before taking to the skies. The pause in the game meant the snitch was – once again – no where to be seen.

“And the match resumes – let’s hope the Slytherin team captain can keep his hands to himself, though word down the street is he’s never been able to,” Hugo announced happily, and the crowd reacted in laughter.

Word had got out about the reason for Scorpius’ and Nathan’s break-up, but mostly people played it off as a joke. Nathan never lost his reputation or popularity. However, Scorpius had. It came apparent at that moment that people only put up with Scorpius because of his relationship with the popular Quidditch captain and most people shunned him away once they broke-up. He lost his best friend, too, because George Zabini had been the one that Nathan cheated with. Overall, Scorpius became mostly friendless. He had a few people he spoke to and would maybe even sit with at dinner, but most he would never consider a friend. Most of the team – for obvious reasons – took Nathan’s side apart from a few who remained neutral. In the twelve days since the break-up, Scorpius found himself incredibly lonely.

Luckily for him, avoiding Nathan was easier than anticipated. He was a year older, so they had separate dorms and where Nathan favoured studying in the common room, Scorpius favoured the library. All in all, they only had to interact at Quidditch practice. Avoiding George was significantly harder – they shared a dorm and most their classes, they would often both study in the library and of course, there was training, too. Scorpius was trapped in a world of betrayal and heartache with no way to escape. So, he let himself drown in his misery.

A flash of gold flickered in the corner of his eye and he swerved the broom quickly to chase after it. Pain shot through his ribs at the sharp turn, but Scorpius ignored it in favour of chasing after the ball of flying gold. It came into view immediately following his manoeuvre, but of course, Albus was there, too. Scorpius drowned out the crowd and Hugo’s presenting and focused solely on the snitch.

Albus hadn’t been joking when he said he wouldn’t go easy on Scorpius. He flew swiftly through the wind at a pace slightly faster than Scorpius. They both blindly followed the snitch on the whirlwind it took them on, neither boys seemingly fast enough to catch it. It made rapid turns, one so sharp that the two seekers nearly flew into each other. The game was still in full swing, Gryffindor catching up a few points which meant now that Scorpius had to catch that snitch in order to win. If he didn’t, he’d be shunned out of the team for good.

Tired of playing the snitches game, Scorpius stopped and analysed his surroundings. Albus continued, not even taking notice of the other boy no longer following him. The snitch was heading rapidly for the stands, which meant that when it finally changed course, Albus would be thrown off for a split second to determine its direction. Scorpius had a one in four chance to guess that direction for a head start against him.

Scorpius started on his broom again, now quite the distance between him and Albus, and therefore the snitch. He ignored the shouts from his teammates directed at him. In his head, he had been analysing the flight patterns of the snitch, so far it had taken two lefts, three rights, one up followed swiftly by a down, then another left, up, right, down, left, down, right, left, right, up, down, left, left, left.

To anyone else, there seemed no obvious pattern. But, to Scorpius – who spent his entirety of third year analysing snitch flying patterns in order to train to get the spot as seeker in his fourth year – he knew exactly it’s plan. He caught up to Albus fairly quickly but kept a fair distance. The snitch went up, followed by Albus after a moment’s hesitation, but Scorpius went down. Sure enough, the snitch did exactly as he predicted, and made a quick nose-dive down and thankfully, straight into Scorpius’ hand.

“Malfoy has caught the snitch and Slytherin win! Not only this game, but their first house cup in nine years!” Hugo announced over the microphone, sounding happy despite his own team losing. The Slytherin crowd erupted into cheers as the rest of his team touched down to embrace boisterously, followed by the crowd entering the pitch. Albus floated down next to him, a dumbfounded look on his face. Scorpius grinned brightly at him, trying his best not to look smug as the snitch flew circles around his head.

“But- wh- how?” He stuttered. Scorpius had never seen _The_ Albus Severus Potter stutter before. It only made this way more amusing.

“I can’t tell you my secret now, can I?” Scorpius teased.

“I knew you were brilliant but that was definitely cheating,” Albus teased backed. Scorpius scoffed, his mouth agape and he looked upon in disbelief at Albus.

“How dare you accuse me of cheating!” He exclaimed, trying – but failing – to keep the amusement from his tone. They shared a laugh as they descended to the grounds. Scorpius – momentarily forgetting his injuries – fell to the floor with a grunt when the pain shot through his leg as he dismounted his broom.

“Oh-woah, woah,” Albus spoke quickly, half catching Scorpius on his way down and pulling him back up. Albus wrapped his arm around Scorpius’ waist for support and Scorpius wrapped his own around Albus’ shoulders.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t you want to get involved in that?” Albus asked, nodding towards the group of Slytherin’s that had now crowded around the team, chanting and cheering for their win.

“They haven’t even noticed I’m not there, I’m good. Plus, I always hated that part of the game, crowds make me anxious,” Scorpius bit his bottom lip and Albus turned his head to look at him, eyes boring holes into the side of his face.

“Slytherin wouldn’t have won if it weren’t for you,” he obviously pointed out. Scorpius shrugged, feeling tears beginning to sting in his eyes – and not just because of the pain his body was in.

“Albus!” The conversation was cut-short by Albus’ team heading over to them. The voice belonged to his cousin, Rose Granger-Weasley, one of Gryffindors beaters. Followed closely behind her was James Potter, the Gryffindor captain and chaser, then little Lily Potter, keeper and the rest of his team.

“What’re you doing?” James asked as they reached them. Albus and Scorpius came to a stop and Scorpius felt Albus’ hand clench against his waist slightly.

“Helping Scorpius, he’s injured,” they were never Scorpius and Albus usually, always Malfoy and Potter, just like their father’s had been. Though, he and Albus never had the same relationship as their fathers. They liked each other, for a start, despite being constantly pitted against each other for almost everything. Mostly, they played into the idea that they were supposed to hate each other, and their bickering was just banter, though to anyone else it seemed the two boys never got on. They both found it quite amusing.

However, something in their relationship had shifted since the night in the Astronomy Tower. Before, neither of the boys considered the other as a friend, but now they did. There was something about pouring your heart out to a stranger that connected you to them. They both needed a shoulder to cry on and that night they had each other. Neither would ever forget that, and both now knew that they would be there for each if they ever needed.

So, even though they were on separate sides of the pond, they found themselves drifting towards each other. Not in any way too drastic. Before they would pass in the halls without acknowledgement, now they shared a quick hello, or maybe a ‘how are you?’. In class, they shared glances which mostly involved them rolling their eyes then giggling because the only two classes they shared was History of Magic (boring) and Divination (a load of bullshit). So, yeah, it’s fair to say they were friends.

Though, Albus actually carrying him and risking the game for him, that was a new level they hadn’t quite reached before.

“I can’t believe you stopped to help him, we could have won!” James exclaimed and both Scorpius and Albus scoffed, though Scorpius’ was more discreetly.

“He needed help,” Albus defended at the same time Scorpius drawled, “how very Slytherin of you.” Lily let out an uncontrollable chuckle, but James was far from amused. His eyes shot to Scorpius, narrowed in disgust as they looked Scorpius up and down. If he was thinking that he could take Scorpius in a fight, then there was no doubt that he would win. Scorpius was never a fan of physical fights. He had never punched anyone in his life, favouring his wand over violence. Albus looked at him quite proudly, but also like Scorpius was on a death wish.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” James spat, and Scorpius had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. James Potter didn’t scare him by any means. He knew James from prefect rounds and where the two never exactly got along, Scorpius did know that James never liked violence either.

“I said it’s very Slytherin of you. Stealing the win whilst the other players down, it’s cunning, shows your ambition to win and you crave the power that owning the cup would give you. Very Slytherin indeed, Potter,” Scorpius smiled smugly, narrowing his eyes at James the same way he did to Scorpius.

“Are you saying that’s what you would have done if the situation was reversed? You’re a Slytherin,” he stupidly pointed out. This time, Scorpius did roll his eyes.

“Oh, well spotted,” he commented snidely. “But no, I would have helped Albus, too.”

“Lay off it, James,” Albus finally input and James’ eyes snapped from Scorpius to Albus, his features softening slightly.

“Scorpius has a point, Jamie,” Lily sing-songed next to him and Scorpius found himself liking the youngest Potter. James and Lily started bickering back and forth, Rose occasionally interjecting.

“Here, let’s get you to the infirmary,” Albus spoke up, ignoring his siblings and cousin and going to guide Scorpius away from them.

“No, Albus, it’s fine. I can take myself.”

“Scorpius, you can barely walk, stop being so bloody proud.”

“Honestly Al-”

“Scorpius!” They were interrupted by Scorpius’ last remaining friend. Okay, she wasn’t really a friend before the break-up. He and Marley were on talking terms, she was one of the teams Chasers’, and they had the occasional conversation and would sometimes partner up on projects. But, she seemed to be the only person showing empathy towards him and the two had started hanging out a little bit more. He was thankful for her presence most the time, she made things less lonely. But, she couldn’t be there in the dead of the night when his thoughts ran rampage around his mind like his other friends had been. Still, he appreciated her.

“Hey, Marley,” he greeted.

“That was a nasty fall,” she commented. So, she had seen it and hadn’t bothered to help. At least Albus had. It only confirmed Scorpius’ theory that he had a heart of gold.

“I was just taking him to the hospital wing,” Albus butted in.

“I don’t mind taking you, it’s no trouble,” Marley replied, sweetly. Albus was hesitant until Scorpius squeezed his shoulder.

“It’s fine, Marley can take me, I don’t want to take time out of your day.”

“Okay, I’ll swing by later then,” he said, untangling himself so Marley could take up his previous position. “Do you want me to take your broom?” He offered, holding his hand out. The brooms were taken to the house elves who gave them a clean and a polish before returning them to their respective owners. Usually Scorpius would do it himself – he was very precious about his broom – but, he’d never get around to it if Matron Abbot kept him in for the day.

“You don’t mind?” He asked, handing his broom over to Albus.

“’Course not, I’ve got to take mine anyway,” he smiled at him and Scorpius returned it.

“Thank you,” Albus nodded his head. Scorpius and Marley turned to walk away when Scorpius stopped her, turning back around in a moment of courage.

“Hey, Al…” every member of Albus’ family’s eyes were on him, Albus’ wide with curiosity, James’ narrowed with disgust, “bus,” he finished his name lamely. The moment of courage was whisked away with the wind and Scorpius was reminded why he was never sorted into Gryffindor. “There’s a party tonight,” he now addressed the whole group, hoping it wouldn’t seem so weird. “In the Slytherin common room, I assume you’ve already been invited because you usually are, but you should swing by,” he directed the last comment at Albus, keeping his eyes on him.

“Yeah, we will,” Albus replied lamely. James scoffed.

“Of course, we’re already invited, you losers always host the end of season party no matter who wins,” Scorpius fought down the urge to comment that they were the losers, given it was Slytherin who just won the match and therefore the cup. “Have to admit, it’s kind of sour now that you’ve won, and we lost, but we’ll dwell in our loss alongside your celebrations,” there was strange bite to James’ words that got lost the longer he spoke. Scorpius decided to ignore it.

“See you there,” he again directed this to Albus, who nodded and smiled. Scorpius turned away this time, following Marley to the infirmary where Matron Abbot proceeded to tell him that he had two broken ribs and a sprained ankle and scolded him repeatedly about playing out the rest of the game. Scorpius mostly drowned her out, thinking too much about what the night might bring.

 


	2. It's Party Time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I was going to update yesterday but I was too busy, but it's here now!  
> Trigger warnings: panic attacks!

Albus Severus Potter was nervous. Why he was nervous, he didn’t know. It was just a party, a normal regular party that he and his family attend every year. It was always hosted by Slytherin no matter who won the cup, it was always something he attended despite his dislike of such events, and every night always turned out the same way. James would get too drunk which meant Albus would have to carry his ass back up the common room, watch him throw up for approximately ten minutes, then haul him to his bed where he would pass out till morning.

This year was sure to be no different.

Except that it was. In two ways: the first being that their little sister had conned James into letting her come, which meant they were both on babysitting duty, something that will inevitably fall upon his shoulders because James is James. She may be fourteen, and Albus may have been attending parties in his third year, too, but he still felt she was too young. The second was that someone actually wanted him there this year. Usually, he tagged along with the team because it was the thing to do, no one on the team ever missed an after-game or end-of-season party, it was a given. But this year, Scorpius Malfoy had asked him specifically to go.

Which led him back to why he was nervous. It couldn’t possibly be because of Scorpius; the boy was about as threatening as a cupcake. Maybe it was because Albus was quite angry at his ex-boyfriend, who had purposely – whether the prick admitted it or not – aimed that bludger at Scorpius during the match which meant he ended up in the hospital wing. Ever since they had consoled in each other the night in the Astronomy Tower, Albus felt fiercely protective of the boy.

The first day he met Scorpius Malfoy was when he obnoxiously answered _every_ question in their charms class on the first week of school their first year. He smiled smugly at Albus and winked whilst Albus glared back at him. So, Albus started answering questions, too. Eventually, they got into an answer-questioning war in every class, where they would both try and out-answer each other. By Christmas, they settled on a truce because they had both honestly lost track of who was winning. They shook hands and that was the start of their bickering contests.

Mostly, they would do it to annoy the Professors, who most remember their respective fathers’ and the arguments they would get into at school. It was an unspoken connection they had though, that somehow both boys knew their arguing was nothing serious. They never spoke about it directly. They would bicker, send a smug look, one of them would wink, the other would laugh (these last two parts were done in secret so no one else ever picked up of their ruse) and they would repeat for the rest of the class.

Scorpius, Albus had concluded after years of observations, was the biggest ball of sunshine known to man. Yes, even bigger than the _actual_ ball of sunshine. Whenever Albus saw him he was smiling the biggest grin ever, chatting away amicably with whoever shared his company – which was usually Nathan or George. In fact, the only time Albus had ever seen Scorpius quiet was when he was studying in the library, but even then, he would have music blasting through headphones attached to his music box and dancing away cheerfully in his chair.

That night in the Astronomy Tower, however, was the first time he’d ever seen him cry. It was the first time he’d ever seen a frown on his face and a wobble in his voice. It was the first time his hair flopped from neglect and his eyes had lost their sparkle. It broke his heart, because someone as happy as Scorpius, someone as lovely as him and as kind as him, should never, _ever,_ have to feel like that.

Albus realised he didn’t have much of a right to be angry. Nathan hadn’t done anything to him. But, he took the happiest person Albus knew – and even though up until that night had never had a close friendship with– and broke him. That warranted anger in his eyes.

No, that wasn’t why he was nervous, though.

Still, Albus couldn’t put his finger on it. So, he put it down to the knowledge that his ex-girlfriend, Heather Jordan, would be there and left it at that.

As he made his way down to the dungeons, his brothers’ arm around his shoulder and Lily holding his hand, Rose stalking just slightly ahead with Heather – because, yes, they were best friends so Albus was forced to still be around her, he still couldn’t help his nerves. However, when Heather brushed her silky, thick, brown hair, so it cascaded down her back and turned only slightly to catch Albus’ eye, the nervousness dissipated.

She really was the most beautiful girl in the world. Truly.

And she slipped from his grasp. He had never regretted anything more. He liked her, he really did. She was amazing, stunning, perfect, funny, witty, intelligent and a thousand other beautifully articulate words. And Albus had let her slip away because she needed more, and he didn’t have more to give. He was drowning in his studies – being behind on three assignments that he’d managed to get his Professors to give him extensions for (there were perks to being Harry Potters' son) – and even though Quidditch was over for the year, James was still keeping practices up. He claimed it was good to keep their minds working or something. Then, exams were starting in less than two weeks which Albus hadn’t even begun studying for. There was no physical time for a girlfriend, despite how much he wanted Heather.

Life just knew how to bite him in the arse like that.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Malfoy?” James spoke, loud enough to capture everyone’s attention. The rest of the team suddenly only had ears for Albus. He and Malfoy interacting was not news, but he and Scorpius being friends, that was news. The Quidditch team wasn’t particularly fond of Scorpius, Albus assumed it was because he was better than them and had thrashed their asses multiple times in the past. In terms of ability in seeking, he and Albus were of the same level. That didn’t stop them feeling threatened.

“Am I not allowed to speak to him now?” Albus bit back, bitter that James even bothered to ask a question about him. What was Albus’ friendships to him?

“Of course, you are, baby bro. But, I’m just looking out for you. He’s a Malfoy a-”

“So? Why does that matter?” Albus interrupted, daring James to say anything bad about the boy. Upon seeing Albus’ glare – one that he hoped was just as fierce as his mothers’ – James dropped his point and just shrugged. Lily giggled and rolled her eyes at the interaction before diving in to some long-winded story that involved a few third-year girls that Albus tuned out. He loved his sister, but she could talk for England.

James stayed quiet the rest of the journey to the dungeons, which surprised Albus. James rarely shut up, especially if it was because of Albus. They happily let Lily ramble and Albus tried not to stare at the back of Heather’s head and admiring the way her hair swayed side to side with every bounce. He had to admit, Heather seemed happier without him. That didn’t mean it hurt any less.

James untangled himself from Albus as soon as the dungeons were in sight, grabbing Lily and leading her in, which left Albus with his best friends, and dorm mates, Yann Fredricks and Karl Jenkins, who just did as they always did and teased him relentlessly for whatever stupid thing had come out of his mouth.

“Beer or Firewhiskey?” Yann asked as they entered the Slytherin common room, the music enveloping his senses in second.

“Start with a beer,” Karl replied and Albus nodded in agreement. Yann disappeared into the crowd and returned moment later, shoving a Butterbeer into Albus’ hand. He had never been a fan of the famous wizard drink, but right now it was alcohol – even if it was only a small amount – and he would take it.

The common room was booming with people as Albus, Yann and Karl made their way through to the beer pong table to observe the current game. Only those who were members of Quidditch teams were strictly allowed to attend, however as it was hosted in the Slytherin common room, other Slytherin house members third year and up were allowed to attend, plus all invited parties got a plus one, so it always ended up being a party to remember.

Albus – annoyingly inheriting everything from his father including his short height – tiptoed to poke his head out the crowd, looking in particular for a mop of shockingly blond hair in the sea of people with average hair colours. He gave up after a short moment, knowing he’d have all night to see Scorpius.

He decided to join in the next game of beer pong, if only because Yann and Karl insisted, even though they teamed up and left Albus on his own. He could have found a partner easily but decided against it. He could beat them two anyway. Yann may have been a chaser, but Karl had about as much athletic ability as a salamander.

“You can do better than that, Jenkins!” Someone called when Karl missed yet another shot.

Albus smirked playfully at him, sending him a wink before shooting the ball right into one of the cups. “Drink up, Jenkins!” Albus cheered and Karl started downing the drink.

“Nice shot,” a voice next to Albus startled him for a second, pulling him out of the chants to encourage Karl. He turned to see Scorpius standing there, a small smug smile playing on his lips.

“Thanks.”

“You playing on your own?” He asked, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth.

Albus shrugged. “Guess so, wanna join?”

“If you’ll have me.” Albus nodded and grabbed the other boys’ sleeve, dragging him over to stand next to him.

“You better be good, I’m not losing because you can’t aim."

“I’m not a bad shot,” he replied, eyes gleaming with joy.

“Good, because if you are, you’re drinking it every time they get a shot.” So far, Yann had only managed one accurate shot to Albus’ four. Three more and Albus won.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, I cannot handle my alcohol,” Scorpius laughed, eyes distant for a moment whilst reminiscing before meeting Albus’ once again.

“Really? Scorpius Malfoy, good at everything but handling his booze?” Albus quipped.

“Hardly good at everything though,” he replied, almost sheepishly.

“Hey, do you two mind stopping your flirting so I can take my shot? Thanks,” Yann teased, winking at Albus and taking the shot. To both Scorpius’ and Albus’ dismay, it landed directly into one their cups, and with a teasing grin on his face, Albus handed Scorpius the cup.

“I hate you,” Scorpius muttered before taking a deep breath and downing the contents of the cup to the sounds of chanting around him. Albus chuckled when he slammed the cup down, a hand over his mouth as he tried to keep the contents in his stomach. After a moment composing himself, Scorpius grinned and held his hand out for the ping pong ball to which Albus happily handed over.

Albus watched as Scorpius intently eyed the cups, his face a hardened expression as though he was doing maths in his head. Even the crowd had quietened down, eager for the next move. Scorpius narrowed his eyes and bit his bottom lip in concentration, before releasing the ball where it landed perfectly in one of three remaining cups on Yann and Karl’s side.

“I did it!” He exclaimed, pulling his arms around Albus’ neck and crushing him into a hug. It was short, but after they pulled away, Scorpius kept his arm around Albus’ shoulder whilst Yann downed the drink. Albus unconsciously leaned into him, hating (but not really hating at all) how much taller the other boy was. The position reminded him of their earlier one on the pitch and Albus looked down to see Scorpius was standing perfectly on two feet. He’d almost forgotten that the other boy was in the hospital wing. Albus silently cursed himself, remembering he’d told Scorpius he’d visit.

“Your foots better, I see,” Albus pointed out and Scorpius looked at him for a short moment before back up at the game.

“Oh yeah, that’s why I was late, matron Abbot took forever to discharge me, and I still had to shower, so I used the prefect’s bathroom to avoid entering here all dirty,” he explained, waving his free hand expressively.

“No lasting damage then? Sorry I didn’t visit, slipped my mind to be honest.”

“I was in there for merely hours, Albus, don’t worry and no, I’ll be fine to play Quidditch straight away, though my ribs will be bruised for a couple of days.”

“I still can’t believe those pricks did that to you,” Albus said, clenching his teeth in hopes to stifle some of the anger he felt.

“It was probably an accident,” Scorpius waved him off.

Albus huffed but didn’t say anything back. There was no use arguing about it. If Scorpius wanted to believe it was an accident, then Albus would let him.

They finished the game of beer pong fairly quickly, winning by four cups which Yann and Karl then had to down. Albus and Scorpius left them to it as Scorpius led the way through the crowd to a more secluded spot, picking up two butterbeers on the way. Scorpius stopped in a spot in the corner of the room, away from most people, and turned to face him, handing him a butterbeer he picked up.

“I’ve never liked this stuff,” he grimaced at the bottle before taking a sip anyway.

“Honestly, me either,” Albus replied, sipping his own. Scorpius giggled at his reaction, eyes lighting up even in the dimmed lighting. “Your common room’s awfully cold, even with all these people,” Albus huffed, hugging his arms and rubbing them for warmth.

“Cons of living underground, I guess, you sort of get used to it. Do you want me to grab a jumper from my room?”

“Do you mind?” His eyes lit up at the idea – a jumper sure would make him warmer. They were closing in on summer, but the dungeons made it seem like they were still mid-winter.

“Course not, come on,” Scorpius loosely grabbed his arm, leading the way through the crowd once again and up the stairs to the fifth-year boys common room. Scorpius pulled out his trunk and started flicking through it whilst Albus sat on his bed shivering.

“Can’t imagine you’d want my Quidditch jersey,” Scorpius joked, showing the green jersey to Albus with ‘Malfoy’ written on the back.

“I think my brother would burn it,” he laughed along with him whilst Scorpius shook his head in faux disbelief.

“Why? Am I not good enough for a Potter?” He winked.

“Think he’d just be jealous really.”

“Is that so?”

“Without a doubt.” Laughter bubbled up between the two of them, unable to control their giggles. Thankfully, it warmed Albus up slightly, and judging by the pink on Scorpius’ cheeks, it warmed him up too.

Scorpius' laughter faded quickly as his eyes settled on something in his trunk. He swallowed the lump in his throat before pulling out said item and lying in on the bed next to Albus. Albus picked it up and spread it out, seeing the word ‘Parkinson’ printed on the back of a green jersey identical to Scorpius’.

“Let’s burn it,” Albus half-joked, the other half being deadly serious. Scorpius managed a forced chuckle.

“I forgot I had it,” he replied, sadly. He reached over to grab it from Albus, running his hands across the fabric and then lifting it to his nose to smell it. Albus knew he should have stopped him, it wasn’t healthy to dwell on moments of heartache, but he couldn’t find it in him to do so.

Scorpius sniffed, quickly wiping the tears that had fallen with the sleeve of his jumper. He crossed the room quickly to another bed and folded the jersey on it. Albus assumed it was George Zabini’s bed. His hand lingered on the fabric for half a second longer than it should have before he crossed the room back to Albus.

“Here,” he spoke, pulling another plain green jumper from his trunk and handing it to Albus.

“Thanks,” he replied, slipping it on and instantly feeling the warmth.

They made their way out back to the common room, the music once again overpowering his senses. The smell of booze crawled through his noise and down his throat, followed by various mixtures of perfumes as they pushed their way through the crowd again.

“Hey, can I ask you something?” Scorpius had to now shout over the music which had gotten considerably louder.

“Sure.”

He grabbed Albus again, pulling him out of the crowd at a faster pace than before and back to the quieter corner of the room. Somehow, the room felt more crowded than before and the corner wasn’t as secluded, Albus had to stand quite close to Scorpius, and on his tiptoes, to be able to hear him.

“I don’t want to pry, but how are things between you and Heather?” Albus’ heart dropped at the mention of her name and he whipped his head around to see if he could spot her. She was in the centre of the room engaged in some kind of drinking game with other members of Gryffindor house. She looked up at that moment and sweetly smiled at him, doing a small finger wave before returning to the game. Albus could barely register that she properly acknowledged him in order to smile back.

“Sorry, shouldn’t have brought it up,” Scorpius now said in his ear and Albus snapped his head back, startled to see just how close they were standing.

“No, my bad sorry. Things are normal, she’s ignoring me, mostly, and I’m trying my best to pretend it doesn’t hurt. She seems happy, so I’m happy, too.”

“You know that’s not how happiness works, right?” Albus looked up to Scorpius to see a sad, vacant look in his eye. He was looking back at Albus, though he felt like he was looking straight through him.

“I know, but it’s all I’ve got,” he smiled sadly.

The sound of someone clapping Scorpius on the back was so loud it made even Albus cringe. Scorpius flinched dramatically before realising who it was. The low, whispered voice of Nathan Parkinson was slurred with alcohol, but it was just as unnerving. Albus had never really liked him, but now he had a genuine reason not to.

“Hey, Scorpius, can we talk?” Albus was about to step in before Scorpius put a hand on his shoulder to stop him and nodded at Nathan, who flashed the world’s sleeziest grin his way and dragged Scorpius off to another corner of the room. Albus refused to let his eyes leave them.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, Scorpius,” the voice drawled in his ear, hot breath tickling his neck and causing him to shiver. “Can we talk?” He sounded like he was pouting, and Scorpius had to swallow the lump in his throat. He nodded a yes and allowed himself to be led away from Albus to a corner of the room vacant of other people. When they stopped, Nathan made it so Scorpius was against the wall. He looked around quickly in order to see if Albus could see them and let out a deep breath when he saw the raven-haired boy staring intently at their encounter.

“What do you want, Nate?” For a second, the other boys’ face softened. Nobody ever called him ‘Nate’, it was Scorpius’ nickname for him. Scorpius assumed he wouldn’t care much if he used it, but judging by his reaction, he did.

“Scorpius, I’m really sorry,” he slurred, and he was standing so close Scorpius could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“Are you?” He wanted to sound bitter, but he couldn’t find it in him. Standing in front of him was the boy he loved, confessing he was sorry. Scorpius knew he couldn’t forgive him and never would – he’s not an idiot, after all – but an apology would definitely be nice.

“I am, I miss you,” his breath caught in his throat and his heart started beating faster.

“I’m sorry, Nate, but you ruined everything,” Scorpius replied, holding his breath to stop the tears from falling.

“I know, I know, I know, I’m so sorry,” he gripped onto Scorpius’ arms tight and Scorpius stiffened beneath his grip. “Please forgive me,” he begged. There was sorrow in his voice but no tears in his eyes, Scorpius knew this was just the alcohol talking.

“I can’t, you made your bed.”

“Please, I love you,” he really didn’t need to hear this right now.

“I love you, too,” he confessed. Nathan knew this, there was no point lying.

“Then what’s the problem?” He drawled.

“You cheated on me, Nate,” Scorpius reminded, voice brittle and thick with emotion. Tears threatening to spill over his heated cheeks.

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” he smirked, leaning in and pressing a sloppy kiss to his lips. Scorpius would have recoiled, but his head was already up against the wall. He turned his head, breaking their lips so Nate responded by pressing sloppy kisses down his neck.

“Nathan,” Scorpius said, fear in his voice as he realised Nathan was holding him quite forcibly against the wall. He tried to push him off, but Nathan was not only older and taller, but well built due to years of beater training. Scorpius wriggled beneath him. “Nathan!” He tried again but the other boy kept going, leaving his neck disgustingly wet. They hadn’t even slept together when they were in a relationship, why on earth would he want that now?

Scorpius’ eyes scanned the crowd quickly, looking for Albus to see that he had vacated their previous spot. He looked for anyone else, desperate for help but no one was paying enough attention. His heart started beating quicker and Scorpius was worried he was heading straight into a panic attack. He wriggled beneath Nathan again, trying his best to use his body to push the other boy off but to no avail.

Suddenly, Nathan was being ripped away from him and before Scorpius could process what was happening, Nathan was on the floor moaning with his hands over his face. Albus Potter was standing over him, his first curled into a ball.

“Tosser,” Albus spat, glaring down at the other boy before looking to Scorpius, his green eyes instantly softening. “You okay?”

Scorpius couldn’t speak. He couldn’t breathe properly. He nodded quickly, grabbing Albus’ hand and running from the common room out into the cool air of the dungeons. He collapsed to the ground, his lungs tightening inside his chest. Albus knelt down next to him, asking what was wrong but Scorpius ignored him and recited what his therapist had taught him.

“I see dungeons tiles and a green jumper that matches Albus’ eyes. I feel the fabric of my jumper beneath my fingers and the cold tiles against my knees. I hear mine and Albus’ breathing and the faint sound of music. I smell Albus’ cologne and my honey shampoo. I taste butterbeer and Firewhiskey on my tongue.” He repeated this over and over until his breathing calmed and he finally relaxed into a sitting position against a wall.

“Was that a therapy technique?” Albus asked, settling in front of him, a hand resting on Scorpius’ knee.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

“My father uses it, too. He has pretty bad PTSD from the war,” Albus explained and Scorpius nodded.

“Makes sense,” Scorpius couldn’t find it in him to make a proper conversation.

“Does that happen often?” Albus sounded genuinely concerned.

“Not as much as it used to, but if I get overwhelmed then yeah. Used to get them a lot before exams and Quidditch matches, but they’ve improved since I started seeing a therapist,” he explained, wishing he never had to in the first place. His anxiety wasn’t something he was proud of; neither was his depression.

“Scor, I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” of course he didn’t.

“Very few people do.”

They faded into a comfortable silence, the booming of the music barely a background noise. Albus settled beside him, unsure of what exactly to say but not feeling the need to contribute. Both of them hoped the caretaker wouldn’t be making his rounds, but Scorpius suspected the teachers knew about the end-of-season parties and left them to it, they never seemed to get bothered and no student had ever been picked up on their way back to their dorms.

“I can’t go back in there,” Scorpius finally said after a while in silence. Albus turned to look at him, green eyes glistening below the blazing fire lantern above them. “I’ll probably go spend the night in the Astronomy Tower,” he added. It’s what he usually did, looking at the stars and wishing he was them. He’d be with his mum then.

“You can’t spend the night there, come crash with me in Gryffindor,” Albus offered and Scorpius had to try and hide his shock. He did this through a forced chuckle.

“Won’t your dorm mates find it kind of weird?”

“Yann and Karl won’t mind and the other two won’t even make it back to their own beds tonight, honestly I don’t mind. To be honest, Scorpius, you look shattered and could probably use some proper sleep,” he wasn’t wrong. Since the break-up, Scorpius had the worst time trying to sleep and gave up most nights. Luckily, he had exams to study for, so spent most his sleepless nights studying.

“You sure? You won’t find it weird?”

“Not at all, come on,” he stood up, offering his hand to Scorpius to help him up which he took gratefully. The two walked the long distance up to Gryffindor Tower and Scorpius was still unsure why he took Albus up on the offer. Could you imagine the rumours the next day if anyone found out?

Still, here he was, dressed in a spare pair of Albus’ pyjamas and lying next to him on his bed. Albus drew the curtains around them, just so they would have some privacy and be guarded from rumour if any of his dorm mates decided to come stumbling back. The night was still pretty early, but Scorpius found himself drifting.

“You know,” he mumbled, “most guys would be put out by a gay guy sharing a bed with them,” he chuckled, turning on his side to face Albus, who was lying on his back.

“Guess I’m not most guys,” he replied with a smile and Scorpius smiled back.

“I’m surprised two sixteen-year-olds can fit in a single bed to be honest,” it was a lie, he knew exactly that two grown boys could fit in a bed, he had shared one with Nathan many times.

“I’m fifteen,” Albus corrected and Scorpius’ face grew into a huge smile. Albus glanced at him and rolled his eyes. “What?”

“You’re a baby!” He cooed, reaching over and _booping_ his nose.

“Piss off,” he replied, his tone soft with a chuckle.

“When’s your birthday?”

“June.”

“Bummer, during exams,” Scorpius made a mental note in his head, searching for ways to get the exact date out of someone.

“After actually, it’s in the summer,” Albus smiled, Scorpius could barely see it in the dark of the room.

“Thank you for letting me stay,” he yawned, rolling away from Albus to face the other side of the bed.

“Any time,” he muttered back, sounding just as sleepy as Scorpius.

“Goodnight, Albus.”

“Goodnight, Scor.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, boys can share beds and it not be weird. Boy can also share clothes and it not be weird. Speaking of, enjoy a drawing of Albus in Scorpius' jumper :) Credit to my best friend for drawing for me (tumblr:http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Kudos and comments always appreciated, tell me what you think so far!


	3. The Cards Never Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going on holiday tomorrow, so I won't be able to post until next Tuesday at the earliest, so I have decided to treat you guys and I'll be uploading twice today! So, here's chapter 3! Let me know what you think so far!  
> Also, obviously this is an AU and not following The Cursed Child canon, but Scorpius' mum died in the summer before his fifth year, not his third in this!

“So, where did you disappear to on Saturday? I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Marley asked as she flopped down opposite him at the Slytherin table. Scorpius looked up from his book to find her shovelling food onto two separate plates. He gave her a quizzical look, until she pushed one towards him.

“You don’t have to feed me, Marley,” he replied, pulling the plate closer. He picked up a piece of toast and started tearing it into little pieces, keeping his hands busy. He hadn’t eaten yet, but he wasn’t hungry. Seeing his ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend snogging in the Entrance Hall had made him lose his appetite.

“I do when you decide you’re going to stop eating again,” she scolded, eyeing his hands still fumbling with the piece of toast. “And don’t avoid the question, you’ve been avoiding it for days,” it’s true. He had. Because if anyone had found out the truth, that he had spent the night in Albus Potters’ bed, the school would run riot. He would be height of gossip and after everything with Nathan, he’d rather never be the centre of attention again. Plus, there was no need to bring Albus – a heterosexual male – into the drama of his life.

Then, of course, there was Nathan and George, who would no doubt get dragged into it somehow and Scorpius would end up being the bad guy for moving on so quick. How that made any sense, Scorpius didn’t know. He just knew that it would happen because that’s what always happens. Nathan cheated on him, but somehow it was Scorpius’ fault and that was how he only had Marley as a friend. And she was only a partial friend, he hadn’t seen her properly since Saturday and it was now Wednesday.

“Astronomy Tower,” he mumbled. It had been his answer every time, but for some reason she didn’t believe it.

“Bullshit,” she rebuked.

“Why does it matter where I was? I’m alive, aren’t I?” He bit back, getting fed up of having the same conversation. He may not have seen her properly for a few days, but every time he had it had been the same conversation.

“Marley, bugger off will you, need to talk to Scorpius,” a voice spoke. A voice that was now well trained to send a shudder down his spine. Nathan stood over her with a forced smug smile and Scorpius internally gasped. He was always taken with the other boy, and recently had learnt to hate it. But, he was stunning. Breathtakingly beautiful. His jaw bones were dangerously sharp, enough to draw blood if you tried hard enough. His eyes shone a dazzling blue, emphasised by his tanned skin which was already sun kissed despite the summer being weeks away. His mousy brown hair was always perfectly styled, never a perfect strand out of place. But Scorpius had learnt that even his bedhead made him look adorable. Freckles were painted across his cheeks, so faint they were barely seen, but Scorpius had many nights of being close enough to count each one.

And damn did he miss those nights.

He missed everything about him. It was sometimes hard to remember all the good things now they’d been tainted with bad blood. But, sat across from him, eyes wide and apologetic, lips forming a thin line, Scorpius wanted to do everything in his power to make him smile again. He loved his smile. He always hated seeing him sad.

Then George sat down next to him and Scorpius remembered how much he hated (but sincerely loved) the two boys.

It was hard to watch the person you love, love someone else. It was even harder when that person was your best friend. It was even harder when you realise they’d been cheating together. In conclusion, nothing about this was easy.

“What do you want?” He tried to keep his voice bitter but failed in doing so.

“Honestly, to apologise,” Scorpius shuddered. He remembered the last time he tried to apologise, and he would rather forget that. “The other night, I was out of order and I’m sorry,” well that was a shit apology.

“It’s fine,” he lied, going back to picking apart his piece of toast.

“You know you should probably eat that,” he pointed out, making Scorpius’ throat go dry.

“Why do you care what I do and do not eat?”

“Because I care about you, Scorpius. We both do,” Scorpius scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Are you not eating because of your depression?” If his heart was beating any faster it would explode.

“Maybe it is, maybe it’s not. You lost the right to care when you cheated on me,” he couldn’t meet the other boys’ eyes. He knew exactly what would happen if he did: he’d melt.

“We’re sorry about that, too.”

“Got a funny way of showing it,” he couldn’t keep the bitter humour from his voice, somehow it was the only thing getting him through this conversation.

“Yeah, well we are,” he made to get up, grabbing George’s hand as he did.

“How long, Nate?” Scorpius asked as they were about to walk away. He finally managed to flick his eyes up from the toast to look at him.

“Huh?”

“How long were you going behind my back? I deserve to know,” he stated. George and Nathan shared a worried glance, a silent conversation going on between the two and a pit of jealousy rose in his stomach. _That used to be me,_ he thought bitterly. He saw the way George’s hand gently squeezed Nathan’s, saw the way they stood shoulder to shoulder. That used to be things he and Nathan would do, and George was the one looking upon them.

Finally, they finished their silent conversation and Nathan turned back to Scorpius. “A year,” he stated simply, sounding almost regretful. But that wasn’t possible, regretful was a human emotion and there was no way anyone human could do such awful things.

“A year?” He asked, raising his voice as he slowly rose from his seat. “So, when I came back to school after my mum died and you two comforted me and helped me through it, you were fucking behind my back the entire time?” He was shouting now, gaining the attention of many students around them. It was the sort of drama they’d been waiting for. Everyone knew that Scorpius had been piling on his emotion, it was just about time he snapped.

“We were going to tell you, but you were already so hurt, we didn’t want to make it worse,” he defended.

“So, that makes everything better then, doesn’t it? I’m not made of fucking glass, Nate.”

“But, you are Scorpius! You’re so fragile, we were so scared of breaking you-”

“Stop pretending like you care about me,” his voice cracked. His jaw wobbled as tears threatened to spill over his heated cheeks. “If you cared you would never have done this,” how he managed the words, he’ll never know.

“Maybe we should never have strung you along, but none of this would've happened if you hadn’t been so depressed,” he had the nerve to raise his voice now that Scorpius had broken. Scorpius snapped his eyes up from the floor, finding the nerve he had lost.

“Are you blaming me? How is my depression any contribution to the fact that you couldn’t be loyal to me?”

“Because if you hadn’t been fucking crazy then we could have come clean sooner!”

“FUCK YOU,” Scorpius screamed, pouncing forward and giving Nathan a big shove. It barely touched his beaters build, but it felt damn good. “I’m sorry I had it rough,” another shove, tears now falling down his cheeks. “I’m sorry I’m not enough,” another shove. His voice wobbled and cracked with every word, but they were bitter enough to hold meaning. “Thank fuck George was around to rescue you from your crazy,” another shove, “fucking,” another, “ex.”

He didn’t know who it was who grabbed him, only that they were stronger than him. He struggled against their grip for a moment before giving up. Once he stopped wriggling, the other boy released him, but stayed close.

He stared at Nathan, willing him, telling him to say something. Anything. To tell him he was sorry, to tell him that he missed him. Tell him that he was wrong, that Scorpius wasn’t crazy, that George would never live up to him. That he could never love George the way he loved Scorpius. Just something to make this whole thing stop hurting as much as it did.

Scorpius was tired of hurting. He was tired of his heart feeling so heavy in his chest, like it was being weighted down by a thousand boulders that would sink him if he let it. He was tired of the empty aching pit in his stomach that grasped at him, clawing its way through his body, leaving internal scars that would never heal. He was tired of the sobbing that racked through his body, rendering him helpless and weak. He was so damn bloody tired all the damn bloody time and he was tired of it. It was exhausting.

Nathan stared back at him, slightly taken by the sight of him. Scorpius looked a mess. His eyes were bleary and red as tears poured from them at an uncontrollable rate. His hair – usually so perfect – was an unruly mop, sticking up in places because he had run his hands through them. He was wringing his hands in his jumper, crinkling the fabric beneath his fingers, desperate to keep them busy. He was a standing nervous-wreck. Nathan had only seen that side to him a few times.

Scorpius Malfoy was always so poised and proper – he was a Malfoy, after all. His father scolded him when he didn’t stand up straight, or when he played with his fingers or the ends of his sleeves. It wasn’t proper behaviour of a Malfoy, he had kicked those bad habits before they even began. Scorpius had learnt from a young age how to smile when the whole world never wanted you to. It was a secret he beheld. In a world that tried to destroy him from the moment he was born, he learnt to force on a smile and show he couldn’t be destroyed.

He could be, though. That’s the thing. The world had destroyed him with the rumours and the lies. He had learnt the world hated him long before he learnt to hate himself. There were very few people who could see through his brilliant façade, very few people who knew how to handle him when he broke.

Nathan and George were two of those people.

They had been there when his mother passed the summer before fifth year. That was what finally broke him into a thousand pieces. He spent many restless nights crying so hard his body hurt and there was always the same two people who held him in the night until he stopped.

They could see passed the act he put on. They could see that his smile was fake. They watched as Scorpius faced school days with a blindingly bright smile and chattering away as usual, but they both noticed his smile never reached his eyes anymore. They watched as the day went on and the act became harder to follow. Then, finally, they watched as he crawled into bed and covered himself with the duvet without so much as taking his shoes off, and sob in the quiet of the dorm room behind closed curtains.

They would take it in turns to hold him while he cried. Most nights it was Nate who would shush him quietly, gently rocking him back and forth as Scorpius let his scent fill him up and drive away any bad feelings. Nate had the most effective reaction, he could always bring Scorpius back to reality. George had to try a little harder, and mostly Scorpius was thankful for his presence and that’s what helped him through those long nights.

It hurt most of all now knowing that those nights meant nothing to them. It hurt most of all knowing that they did all of that out of guilt. They knew just how susceptible to breaking he was and used that knowledge to manipulate and justify their own fucked up situation.

Scorpius deserved more than a half-arsed apology, being shouted at and being called crazy. He deserved more than the pain they put him through.

Or did he?

At this point he didn’t know anymore.

Maybe he deserved it. Maybe he was right in assuming he could never be loved. Maybe there was something unlovable about being him. Being a Malfoy. Being the rumoured son of Lord Voldemort. Being his family’s disappointment. Being a Slytherin. Being a loser. Being sad. Being lonely. Being him. Being Scorpius Malfoy.

That must have been it. He would always be overshadowed by his family. It was inescapable no matter how hard he tried. He was cursed the moment he was born whether he knew it or not.

Though, it was nice to have been loved if only for a little while. He doubted he’d ever find someone who would love him again. Maybe he’d learn to be okay with that. Maybe he’d just die of loneliness. He wasn’t sure which one would come first.

“Say something,” his voice sounded too far away to be his, but somehow his lips were moving and the words flowing from his mouth. Nathan was looking – for the first time in his life – perfectly perplexed and rugged. His perfect hair had fallen ever so slightly out of place and he looked at Scorpius with wild, shocked eyes.

Nathan went to open his mouth but quickly closed it, shrugging at him using his arms.

“Did you ever love me?” Scorpius asked. He wished he didn’t. He wasn’t prepared for the answer to be no. He wasn’t prepared for the answer to be yes. He wasn’t sure which one he’d prefer.

“Scorpius,” it was only then, when a soft voice spoke his name, that he realised Albus was standing just behind him. It was Albus who ran to his aid and pulled him away from hitting Nathan. It was actually only then he realised the hundreds of eyes on him and he felt incredibly vulnerable. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around himself, curling into himself like he was so used to doing in solitude when he felt vulnerable.

Nathan nodded slightly, closing his eyes as he did, his lips pursed in a pout. It was almost like he was ashamed to admit it. Ashamed to admit he loved him once upon a time. Ashamed to have loved a Malfoy.

Scorpius knees finally gave way and he collapsed back onto the bench, Albus half grabbing him and leading him the way down. He caught one last glimpse at Nathan and George before they decidedly turned away and exited the Great Hall hand-in-hand.

He finally caught a glimpse of Albus, his face contorted in worry. His arms were wrapped around Scorpius’ shoulder and Scorpius was surprised to find himself slightly comforted at the gesture. He managed a weak smile that didn’t meet his eyes. Albus stared at him intently, emerald eyes absorbing everything about the other boy, from his tired eyes and a bruised bottom lip from biting it so hard.

“I know it’s stupid, but are you okay?” Albus asked, keeping his voice low and soft. Scorpius sniffled before nodding, chewing relentlessly at his bottom lip and staring at a spot just behind Albus that was apparently more interesting.

“He doesn’t deserve you,” Albus said in a hushed tone. If he had it in him, Scorpius would have laughed.

“You’re wrong,” he muttered. His voice was weak and fragile and cracked. It resembled exactly how he felt. “I was lucky to have him while I did,” he continued, self-deprecation thick in his tone.

“Why on Earth would you ever think that?”

Scorpius collected himself, wiping his tears quickly with his sleeves and drying his cheeks. He stood in a rush, grabbing his bag and flinging it over his shoulder and picked up his books from the table. He plastered a wide smile on his face and looked at Albus.

“Don’t we have divination?” He asked, forcing excitement into his tone and smiling wider. Albus looked perplexed, raising a single eyebrow at him inquisitively.

“I- er- yeah,” he settled on, stumbling over his words slightly. He stood and followed Scorpius, grabbing his own bag from the Gryffindor table quickly before they made their way through the castle to the divination classroom.

Scorpius talked the entire way there, a false smile on his lips as he spoke with euphoria about revision and exams that were starting the following week. Albus, to say the least, was confused. He knew Scorpius was happy, that had always been obvious to him. The boy never stopped smiling whenever he saw him around the castle. He always had the same wonderment in his eyes that shined brighter than most stars.

But knowing that Scorpius was feeling anything but happy right now and having to watch his false charade only confused Albus. How could he do it? How could he wipe the tears from his eyes and swallow the lump in his throat and act like nothing happened? It made him wonder exactly how long Scorpius had been keeping the act up for.

He was sort of haunting, looking into his eyes so full of light but now that Albus knew it was all an act, he could see the emptiness behind them. It only goes to show that you never truly know what anyone’s going through. The one’s with the brightest smiles are the one’s who have been the most heartbroken.

Albus wanted to tell him that there was nothing wrong with being upset, there was nothing wrong with wearing your heart on your sleeve. But, then he thought it wouldn’t be what he wanted to hear. People didn’t like it when he was honest with them. He just wished Scorpius could be honest with himself. Bottling everything up was not healthy.

“Alright class, it’s your last lesson before the exam next week so I’ve set out all the different types of divination for you to explore on your own and I’ll be around if you have any questions or queries, please use the time wisely, I expect you all to pass this exam next week,” their Professor, Professor Tarley, announced as Scorpius and Albus entered the class, effectively cutting Scorpius off from his rant.

“Hey, be my partner?” He asked, grabbing onto Scorpius’ sleeve as he was about to walk off in another direction.

“Why?” He asked, though it wasn’t rude, it was a genuine question.

“Well, you normally partner with your ex-boyfriends new boyfriend and I usually partner with my ex-girlfriend, I figured we both need a change.”

“Good point, what do you want to study?” He asked, settling his bag down at a table Albus picked.

“Cards?” He asked, and Scorpius nodded, leaving for a brief moment to pick a deck of tarot cards from the front desk before returning to the seat opposite Albus. Albus felt that nervous feeling again, the same one from the party but shook it off and smiled at the boy opposite him.

“Want me to do you first?” Scorpius asked, eyes wide and still slightly blotched as they peaked through his blond hair that had fallen over his forehead. Albus nodded and Scorpius gave the deck – the _Major Arcana_ , the foundations of tarot readings - a quick shuffle before spreading them face down on the table. Knowing the drill, Albus held his hand out, palm face down. He hovered until his palm stopped over a card and Scorpius turned it over.

“The Fool,” he grinned, leaning over to look it up in his textbook. “Luckily for you, it’s upright, which means you have infinite potential, starting with a blank slate and are full of innocence,” he read off, using his own words to interpret the text. He grinned mischievously at him, “I’m not sure there’s much innocence about you,” he giggled.

“Bugger off, I’m plenty innocent,” Albus defended. Scorpius raised an eyebrow at him and rolled his eyes. The grin on his face seemed genuine this time, Albus preferred that smile.

Scorpius put the card to one side and Albus repeated the previous action, hovering over the cards until he felt the need to stop. Scorpius pulled another card out, but his smile faltered slightly.

“The Lovers card, reversed,” Albus shrugged. “There’s been a loss of balance in your relationship, your avoiding responsibility for your actions and your relationship was one-sided,” he sounded unsure as he read it off as though fearing he’d hurt Albus’ feelings. It didn’t. It was nothing he didn’t already know.

He had never accepted that it was his fault for his break-up with Heather, even though she told him very clearly that it was him who was the problem in the relationship. He caught a glance at her as she laughed along with another one her friends taking the class. He felt a pang in his heart and feeling of longing. She used to laugh with him, too. He ruined all that, he knew it, but part of him just couldn’t accept that he was the problem. But then, the tarot cards read that his relationship was one-sided, and sometimes it felt like that. Like he cared for her more than she cared for him.

But they were just stupid cards, right? Surely, they could never predict anything.

“Your turn,” Albus said, gathering up all the cards and shuffling them thoroughly. Scorpius was looking at him with a sort of sad gaze, but quickly recovered and smiled that brilliantly fake smile again. Now that he had noticed it once, he would never stop noticing.

Albus repeated Scorpius’ actions, laying the cards out face down. Scorpius’ hand hovered over them for a second longer than Albus before finally settling on one. Albus picked turned it over, then turned to his book to get the right page. He heard Scorpius take a deep breath, probably knowing exactly what the card already meant.

Upon finding the page, Albus looked for the same symbol on the page to identify the card. Clearly Scorpius was better at divination than he was, but then that wasn’t that hard.

“The Star,” he finally said and then sighed, too. “Reversed. You feel as though everything has turned against you. The challenges you would normally see as exciting seem instead to make you feel that you cannot overcome them. You have lost faith in something, whether inside yourself or with something you find dear,” he read the book word for word, scared to look up and gauge Scorpius’ reaction.

“Wow,” he breathed, shaking his head and forcing the smile again. “Next,” he brushed off the card and put his hand back over the deck, hovering for a moment before settling on a card. Hesitantly, Albus turned it over and inspected his book again.

“The reversed Hermit,” he sighed, knowing reversed cards in this deck were never anything good. “You feel lonely and like you’ve lost your way. That’s fine, but you must be careful when dealing with wanting to be alone, for it can send you into a dark abyss,” Albus recited, looking back at the other boy.

To his surprise, Scorpius wore a bright smile.

“That’s that, I guess. What next? Or do you want to go over each of the card meaning? You seemed to be struggling a little bit,” he offered, smiling widely. However, the sadness in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed to Albus, neither did the wringing of his hands in the sleeves of his robes.

“How do you do that?” He asked, watching as the smile slowly faltered from Scorpius’ face. It made him feel guilty for asking it, but he pressed on. “Pretend like that? I always thought you were happy but now I know it’s just an act.” Scorpius smiled again, not as blindingly bright this time, but it somehow seemed more genuine. Like he was happy that someone saw through him.

“People only see what they want to see,” he replied. “It’s easy, you plant a big smile on and no one questions it if you’re convincing enough. It makes it easier to pretend that I’m not lonely, or lost, or…” he gestured at the cards, “sad.”

“Has anyone every told you that you’re really brave?” Scorpius’ eyes widened in shock at the statement. He chewed on his bottom lip and slowly shook his head. “I think you are.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled, sending a weak smile Albus’ way. “I think you’re quite spectacular, too,” he added, shying away from Albus’ gaze.

Albus had to stifle a small giggle at the way he suddenly went all insecure. “Thank you,” he replied, a proud smile etching its way onto his face. Scorpius looked back at him again and the same smile came on his face. They stayed like that for a while, just staring at each other as though they were trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Until Scorpius cleared his throat, bringing them both back to reality, and told him they should probably be revising. Together, they spent the rest of the lesson revising tarot cards and Albus learnt more in that hour than he had the entire year.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing inspired by this line: "Scorpius collected himself, wiping his tears quickly with his sleeves and drying his cheeks. He stood in a rush, grabbing his bag and flinging it over his shoulder and picked up his book from the table. He plastered a wide smile on his face and looked at Albus."  
> Again, thanks to: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ for the lovely drawings!


	4. Oh, Love, It's Just A Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featuring in this chapter is my justification for putting Albus in Gryffindor (other than the reason that he needed to be in a different house to Scorp!) I firmly believe that Albus is a Slytherin through and through, and usually don't like it when people stray from that canon (I know, call me a hypocrite) but it had to work like this for this whole story to work. So, I have justified by placings!

“Well, that was a fucking nightmare,” Albus announced, plonking himself down on the bench opposite Scorpius. Scorpius’ spoon stopped halfway to his mouth, the soup slightly dripping from it at the sudden lack of movement.

“You do realise this is the Slytherin table, right?” He asked with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, a small smile playing on his lips. Albus feigned shock, dramatically turning around to observe his surroundings before looking back at Scorpius.

“Is it? Shit, must have got the green and red mixed up. Clearly, I turned colour blind overnight,” he rolled his eyes dramatically, causing a giggle to escape from Scorpius’ lips.

“You’re such a sarcastic little shit, you know that?” If the shit-eating grin on Albus’ face anything to go by, he did indeed know that.

“I pride myself on it. Anyway, that exam! What the actual fuck?” He cursed, grabbing a couple of sandwiches and putting them on a plate before pouring himself a cup of coffee. Apparently, he was eating lunch with Scorpius now, not that he minded at all. The company was nice, made even better by it being Albus.

“I quite enjoyed it,” he shrugged. Albus looked up from his coffee in horror, mouthing forming an ‘o’ shape.

“You’re a giant nerd.”

“I pride myself on it,” he mocked, narrowing his eyes at Albus with a smug smile plastered on his face. Albus snorted and rolled his eyes. Scorpius wore a small smile on his lips as he watched Albus’ faux annoyance. It was kind of endearing watching the way his emerald eyes danced under the light of the enchanted ceiling.

Summer had started in full swing, the sun gleaming lazily among the students of the Great Hall who chatted excitedly as the last day of exams came to a close. Summer break was just over a week away and the buzz in the hall reflected it beautifully. Scorpius loved the summer, it was his mothers’ favourite season and therefore it was his too. Though this year would be his first summer without her, and he wasn’t sure exactly how he would deal with that.

It wouldn’t be the same hopping off the Hogwarts Express without his hand wrapped in Nate’s as they made there way together over to their parents, whom always waited for them every year. This year would be starkly different. This year there would be no Nate, no Nate’s parents and no Scorpius’ mother. He wasn’t quite ready to face that just yet.

“You okay?” Albus asked, drawing Scorpius back into the room. “You disappeared for a moment there,” there was faint grin on his face, attempting to tease but the concern was written all over his face.

“Oh yeah, I’m fine,” he smiled brightly, illuminating his silver eyes. Pretty eyes but a mouth full of lies. Albus raised a single eyebrow at him, the kind he did when he didn’t believe Scorpius. It wasn’t completely a lie, Scorpius was fine. He was always fine. He had to be.

“If you insist,” he huffed. Albus went back to his coffee – the second one he’d poured since sitting down, Scorpius noted – stirring before taking a sip. Scorpius went back to his book, trying to get as much revision in before his final exam that afternoon, not that he was worried about it. It was Charms, it wasn’t exactly rocket science. Albus pulled out some of his own revision notes and started looking over them, but it wasn’t long before he got distracted by a beautiful enchantment entering the room.

His eyes followed Heather all the way from the doors to where she sat on the Gryffindor table, Scorpius watched her too once realising exactly what – or rather, who – had taken Albus’ attention. He sighed and turned back to face him. There was hint of red across his cheeks and longing in his eyes. Scorpius knew that look all too well, it hurt him to see someone else feel so lost without the person they loved.

“Why don’t you just ask her out again?” He asked. He and Heather never ended particularly badly from what Albus had told him. Though, Albus had told him very little about his relationship and rarely spoke of her. Some people are like that, he supposed. They prefer to keep to themselves. However, Scorpius had been raised differently. His mother encouraged his emotions, told him it’s okay to cry, encouraged him to talk about whatever may be bothering him. It’s probably why he spills his heart so easily.

Albus, on the other hand, was a closed book. Isolated from his family and isolated from his emotions. Scorpius didn’t know much about the Potters, only what he’d read in the Prophet. He had, however, read many articles on Harry Potters’ middle child. Predicted to be put in Slytherin house, causing a ripple of gossip when he ended up sat next to his brother at Gryffindor table their first day. Looked most like his father but was least like him in personality. Was only into Quidditch because it’s what the rest of his family wanted. Took a while to come into his magic, many believing he was a squib rather than a late bloomer. He was different in every way. Scorpius liked different.

“Oh nah, no thank you, she made it very clear she wants us over,” he replied, finally breaking away his gaze and looking back at his plate.

“Come on, you can change the reasons why she broke up with you, just pay more attention to her. It’s obvious you still like her, where’s that Gryffindor courage?” He teased, reaching over to poke his arm, jokingly. He wasn’t sure why he was pushing it, maybe it just wanted someone else’s love life to work out better than his own.

“I don’t have any,” he mumbled, stirring his coffee again. His third cup now. He’d be bouncing off the ceiling soon enough. Scorpius half thought about making a joke, he knows that’s what Albus would do, but this situation didn’t seem like the joking kind.

“Sure, you do,” he tried, but the encouragement he attempted didn’t quite convey in his tone. “The hat put you in Gryffindor for some reason,” he added and this time Albus looked up with a small coy smile.

“That’s because I asked.”

“You asked?” Scorpius had never heard of such a thing.

“My dad told me that the hat takes your account into consideration. James used to tease me all the time about how I was destined for Slytherin, and when the hat was moments away from shouting your house out, I panicked and asked for Gryffindor. I didn’t think it would change its mind, but it did and here I am. Can’t help but think sometimes what would have happened if I let it choose Slytherin,” he tore his sandwich in half, eyeing one side intently. “Sitting over here feels weirdly right, though.”

“It’s your destiny,” Scorpius teased with a big grin. Again, Albus rolled his eyes. “You know, you roll eyes at me so much that they’ll fall out soon.”

“Merlin, I hope so, then I won’t befall victim to your wicked grins,” he joked back and just for a dramatic effect, Scorpius flashed him a wide mischievous grin. “Anyway, not exactly a Slytherin yourself, what’s the deal with you?”

Scorpius shrugged. “I think the hat doesn’t like to sway from tradition. There hasn’t been a Malfoy in any house other than Slytherin, but I think I belong here. My mum used to say that I was a Hufflepuff, kind and incredibly loyal and sweet, but I never let myself dream of those possibilities. I’d have been ridiculed if I was sorted anywhere other than Slytherin, and not just by my family but by everyone here. People like to believe they know other people based on their families and what they read about them. However, I am a Slytherin deep down and honestly I wouldn’t change it.”

“I think you’re right about the tradition thing, though. There’s never been a Potter or Weasley sorted anywhere other than Gryffindor, although my Uncle Percy is definitely a Slytherin,” he laughed at what seemed a joke Scorpius never understood. It must have been a running joke within his family. Scorpius felt jealous for a moment, he had never had a big family. Never even had a sibling, but he desperately wanted one.

“Anyway, I’m going to dash to the library, see if I can get some last-minute revision before the stupid Charms exam! Are you coming to the end of exams party in the Gryffindor common room tonight?” Albus asked, packing his things away quickly and downing the rest of his coffee.

“Erm, I don’t think so,” he replied, shyly.

“Oh, that’s a shame, was kind of hoping you would be,” a spark of hope lit up in Scorpius’ heart. Someone wanted _him_. He let the spark die almost as quickly as it appeared, there was no use in getting his hopes up when surely, they’ll fall again.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, though he weren’t entirely sure why he was apologising.

“No worries, I probably won’t stay long anyway,” he brushed it off. “I’ll see you around then, but definitely at next weeks match?” Scorpius looked up from his plate, discombobulated.

“Match? Seasons’ over,” he reminded him.

“Oh, you haven’t heard? There’s a friendly next week between all the teams, James arranged it. Something about not wanting to leave his final year losing to Slytherin,” Scorpius chuckled and rolled his eyes. “It’s Gryffindor and Ravenclaw – or Gryffinclaw – versus Slytherin and Hufflepuff – or Slytherpuff. Whole schools going to be there, I assume your captain will-” he cut himself off quickly, realising what he’d said. Scorpius hadn’t heard about the match because his captain wasn’t speaking to him. Though, he wondered why Marley hadn’t mentioned it either.

“It’s fine,” Scorpius said, though it really wasn’t. The mention of Nate always sent him spiralling, even a month after their break-up. His heart would still ache behind his ribcage, constricting with every thought, as though his name was wrapped around it and squeezing it till breaking point.

“It should be fun, anyway. I hope you come join, I think we’d win easy without some genuine competition,” Albus winked, not giving Scorpius enough time to reply before dashing off in a hurry, his robes flowing behind him in gentle harmony.

Scorpius felt an uneasy sense of absence grow within him, but he forced it away and pulled a smile on his face. The act wasn’t for anybody but himself, this time he needed himself to believe he was happy. He buried his head in his book, taking in last-minute notes before the exam and let himself ignore the feelings inside him. He didn’t know what they meant and didn’t want to know, so he pushed them away.

The rest of the day passed with ease, his Charms exam went well, and before he knew it, he was curled up in his bed with the curtains drawn, head inside a book that wasn’t one of academia. The rest of his dorm mates had left for the end of exam party, leaving Scorpius behind without so much as asking if he wanted to join. He didn’t mind, he knew who was going and he was trying his hardest to avoid them.

Though, as he sat there all cosy, he couldn’t help the niggling thought in the back of his mind of Albus asking him to go. He thought about it, after he asked, just to see him and hang around with him. It was nice last time, to be able to hang around with someone who didn’t think he was a complete loser. And Albus was kind and was asking him to go.

He wanted to, but only to see him. He had to push that feeling away as hard as he could.

He didn’t go.

Even as he lay there trying his hardest to sleep, his mind drifted to Albus and the good time they could be having. He thought of how he let him sleep in his bed when he felt so overwhelmingly upset and was once again struck at how kind he was.

It was nice to have someone kind around. The world had been cruel, but Albus was the rare exception. Scorpius would like to keep him around as long as possible.

 

* * *

 

 

Albus had been true to his word when he said the whole school would be attending the friendly Quidditch match. The word of the match had gotten to him eventually through Marley, who basically begged him to participate. Scorpius had already decided that he would, but he let her beg anyway.

He walked onto the pitch, his broom in hand, with his team and the Hufflepuff team. It would be strange having twice the players on the pitch, but it was just a friendly match. Though with James Potter around, a match was never friendly. The boy had too much of a competitive streak to him.

The teams gathered at the centre of the pitch, Hugo Weasley announcing them all as they appeared. The word had even spread to the teachers, who were happily sat in their box to observe the game. They had been very supportive of the idea of a friendly match, after all the need for house unity was growing and this was the start of something new.

Albus winked at him and sent a wicked grin his way as they reached centre stage and Scorpius narrowed his eyes back: a challenge. Despite there being four seekers in todays game, everyone knew the match truly came down to Albus and Scorpius. It was why the final year match caught so much attention, everyone was eager to see the two best seekers head-to-head. And Scorpius loved the competition, too.

“And the teams take to their brooms, settling into position,” Hugo bellowed over the microphone. Scorpius mounted his broom, taking to skies with the rest of the team. “And we’re off!” He announced as the balls were released, Scorpius caught a quick glance of the snitch before it disappeared from sight.

The game was in full swing, a flash of yellows, green, reds and blues soaring through the skies. The whirlwind of colours made Scorpius go slightly dizzy, but he forced himself to only focus on gold as he searched for the snitch, keeping an eye on the other seekers in case they found it first. Gryffinclaw were in the lead, apparently James had been helping Lily with her keeping skills, and the Ravenclaw Chaser had always been the best. It was still close enough in points to keep the game interesting, it meant that the final result would lie on the shoulders of the seekers. Those games were always the most thrilling.

“The bludger comes into sight as Parkinson readies his bat, try not to hit your own seeker this time, will you?” Hugo remarked as he narrated the game. The crowd let out a chuckle, but Scorpius could only snort. He looked over in time to see Nate bat away the oncoming bludger, watching his biceps clench at the action. Scorpius nearly swooned off his broom, watching him intently as he ran a hand through his brown locks and sending a winning smile to someone across the pitch. George, no doubt.

Scorpius came crashing down from his cloud.

He swallowed his emotions and took off once again, silently begging for the snitch to show itself, so he could catch it and end the game.

“Ten points to Slytherpuff as Chaser George Zabini gets through Lily Potter’s defences, bad luck cuz,” Hugo announced, way happier than he should be.

A golden flash teased Scorpius in the corner of his eye, and he instantly turned to chase after it, locking his eyes on the snitch.

“Malfoy has spotted the snitch, but will he be able to keep up with it?”

Scorpius pushed forward, willing his broom faster than it could go. The Hufflepuff seeker was with him now, but only slightly behind and shouted encouraging words to him. Of course, Albus Potter appeared a second later, sending him a wink and cheeky grin. Scorpius ignored him, though the scene felt ghostly familiar.

The snitch suddenly nosedived, and with it the four seekers. Scorpius still had the best chance as he was the one directly in front of it, but if it randomly decided to switch direction, the seekers would end up in a pile on the floor. The snitch kept going down and down, looking like it was about to hit the floor itself. The Ravenclaw seeker bailed when the floor was becoming dangerously close, as did the Hufflepuff seeker. It was left to Albus and Scorpius, as everyone knew it would be.

The golden sand was becoming closer, but the snitch gave no indication of giving up. For a second, they shared a worried glance and at the same time, pulled their brooms to hover normally again. Luckily, the snitch did the same. It skimmed against the sand, Albus and Scorpius floating just above it. As though it was teasing them, it raised to their height but still just out of reach.

Scorpius did the most insane thing next.

He kept his broom at the speed it was going, knowing it wouldn’t be able to go much faster, and carefully lifted himself to balance his feet on the wooden stick. Slowly and shakily, he moved his hands up to balance himself out.

“Scorpius?” He heard Albus shout, a worried expression on his face, but he ignored him.

Scorpius took a shaky step forward on his broom.

Albus did the most insane thing next.

He reached out a grabbed his hand to steady him. Scorpius jumped slightly at the sudden touch, he hadn’t expected it because he was looking straight ahead. He squeezed his hand in thanks and moved forward again and reached his free hand out. His fingers skimmed the wings and he took another step.

His broom fell from under him and Scorpius went toppling to the ground, pulling the snitch and Albus with him. They scuffled along the floor in a pile of red and green before landing completely ungracefully with Albus on top of him. They looked at each other for a split second, their eyes asking if the other was okay, before bursting out into laughter.

Albus fell to the floor next to him, laughter ringing through the air. It was a simple melody, a peaceful harmony. In that moment it was just the two of them and their laughs, the rest of the world around them had stopped. Scorpius wished he could pause that moment, live in it for a short moment longer. He wanted to hear the laughter of Albus for as long as possible, he wanted to hear his own for as long as possible. It had been so long since he genuinely laughed, and here he was, with Albus Potter, clenching his sides and struggling to breath.

When they finally calmed into heavy breaths and short chuckles, the world around them came crashing back. Scorpius lifted his hand and released the snitch, the Slytherpuff crowd erupting into cheers and elation whilst the Gryffinclaw crowd booed against them.

Scorpius wished he could just lie there for a moment longer, but the rest of the teams had touched ground and was making their way over. Albus was the first to stand and reached a hand down to Scorpius who took it gratefully.

“You are the clumsiest and stupidest Quidditch player I’ve ever met. That was such a Gryffindor move,” Albus rejoiced, half-teasing and half-surprised.

“So I’ve been told before,” he replied, clicking his tongue. Albus grinned at him before he was being ripped away as Slytherpuff team engulfed Scorpius into hugs and chants. He couldn’t help but notice that Nathan and George were no where among the crowd of the team.

Feeling slightly overwhelmed and anxious, Scorpius managed to worm his way from the crowd – now consisting of a lot of non-playing Slytherin’s and Hufflepuffs – and take a breather. He collected his broom from where it fell and dusted it off, checking it over for any damage.

“Nice catch, Scorpius, despite how stupidly reckless it was,” the voice sent a shiver down his spine and he turned to see Nathan standing a few inches away from him. He ran a hand through his hair subconsciously checking it looked okay. He hated that it still mattered to him. He looked around for George, expecting his minion to be close by, but never found him.

“Reckless or not, we still won,” he mumbled, scuffing his shoe against the sand. He turned to walk away, hoping to make it to the showers in the changing room before anyone else did. Once inside the changing room, the door clicked behind him and he realised Nathan had followed him.

“I wish you would look after yourself a little more,” he implored and for a moment, Scorpius almost gave into the act.

Almost.

“I wish you would leave me alone,” he retorted, trying – but spectacularly failing – to show anger in his tone. The truth was, though, that he wasn’t angry. At least not anymore. Now, he was just tired. He began fumbling with his things, pulling out everything he needed for his shower.

“Don’t be like that, Scorpius,” Nate pleaded, crossing the room and closing the short distance between them.

“Be like what?” He snapped, shoving his toiletry bag harshly onto the bench before turning to face him. He didn’t realise how close they were until he looked up and their noses were almost touching and his heart started beating rapidly.

If he just leaned in, closed the distance, connected their lips, everything would go back to normal. This was just a test of their relationship. A rock thrown at them to see if they could make their way through it. He was sure of it, he was sure he still loved him deep down. If he could just close the gap, then everything would be okay. He would be okay. He could be happy again.

All those feelings he no longer felt: ardour, elation, ecstasy, hope, love. He could feel all those things again if he just leaned in.

He recoiled.

It didn’t create a huge distance, but now they weren’t nose to nose.

“Stop acting like you don’t still love me,” Nate said. The words sent a pang through his chest.

“I don’t,” a lie. But it was better than the truth.

“You never were a good liar.”

“I left all of that to you, apparently.”

“You’re not still mad about that are you?” He asked, taking a step closer, becoming too dangerously close. Scorpius took a step back.

“Of course, I am, you fucked my best friend behind my back for an entire year of our relationship like I meant nothing to you,” he couldn’t find it in him to speak the words in anything more than a quiet murmur.

“But you still love me, right?” He purred, stepping closer. Scorpius stepped back.

“Why does that matter?” Another step closer and another step back.

“Because I still love you,” another step closer and another step back. Scorpius hit the lockers.

“Don’t do that,” Scorpius scolded, forcing harshness into his voice. Nathan never so much as winced. “Don’t fuck with me like that, Nate,” his name came out as a plead.

Without his permission and completely by surprise, Nathan closed the bridge between their lips, connecting them as they had been connected so many times. Nathan grabbed his waist, pulling him towards him. Scorpius, stupidly and foolishly, let himself fall. He melted into him, basking in the warmth he gave him, kissing him like he had so desperately wanted for the past month. His lips tasted of strawberries and sweat, and Scorpius was launched back into nostalgia, to a time when those lips were the best thing he’d ever tasted. Nothing had changed.

It was the small moan that escaped his throat when Nathan bit down on Scorpius’ bottom lip that snapped him back into reality. His eyes flew open and his forcibly shoved him away, his teeth catching on Scorpius’ lips as he was ripped harshly away. A small drop of blood had been drawn, but Scorpius licked it away, biting down on his own lip to try and savour the taste of Nathan.

He had been stupid. So fucking stupid and foolish.

He should never have let himself become absorbed in the moment and felt infinitely guilty for it.

“Don’t even try and pretend like you didn’t enjoy that,” Nathan spoke, licking his lips with a cocky grin. Scorpius wanted to slap that stupid look from his face.

“How is it you can cheat on me with George, but then cheat on George with me?”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, just admit you loved it, that you love me,” Nathan leaned against some of the lockers, drawing part of his uniform up to reveal bare skin.

“I need you to stop this,” he was about to beg, and it wouldn’t be one of his proudest moments. “Please. I’m fucking exhausted. You act like you hate me one second then don’t the next and it’s really fucking with my head. I’m so tired, Nate. I’m so tired of playing your games, so please, please stop,” his eyes had filled with tears threatening to spill. “Just leave, please?” He beseeched, hoping he could keep his overwhelming emotions at bay until he was alone.

“If that’s what you want,” Nate mumbled, turning on his heels and leaving the changing room, without so much of a glance back at him.

Confused and tired, Scorpius stripped off his gear, grabbed his shower bag and headed for a cubicle. Once in there, he let the heat and the steam take over him, relaxing his sore muscles and his even more sore emotions.

He tried not to think about it. He tried not to remember the feeling of ardour that spread throughout his bones when Nathan’s lips connected to his. The weak feeling of love and being loved. It was nice to imagine, to pretend that just for a moment everything hadn’t gone to shit. It was nice to bask in the wonderment of Nathan Parkinson, to remember how he tasted and how he felt.

But that was gone.

And the heartache was back. Nathan didn’t love him anymore, he hadn’t for a while. But it was so easy for him to pretend that he did. The same feeling of numbness came creeping back, filling his stomach with twinging pain. It stabbed at his heart like he’d fallen into a cactus, puncturing his heart over a thousand times. Though he doesn’t feel pain, he just feels numb. And he knows that taking out every little pin prick will take time and effort and still leave him bleeding, blood gushing from his fresh open wounds and there would be nothing he could do but bleed out on the floor.

Beneath him, his knees gave way. Scorpius crashed to the shower floor, curling into a ball as the shower rained over his shaking body and sobs racked through his bones. He let it fill him up, all the emotions he’d ever felt: the anger, the sadness, the pain, the crushing anxiety. He’d fill up on all of those and explode in a colour of black and white, drowned out by the sounds of running water and the steam that clouded his sight.

He sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until he could sob no more. He washed away all memories and emotions associated with Nathan Parkinson and watched as they tumbled down the drain. The water cleansed him of Nathan’s touch, so every part of him was fresh and new. His tears cleared the way for a new path, a path without pain and anger. When he stepped out of the shower, he felt different. He felt free of his past anguish.

How much of it was just pretend, he didn’t know. But he let himself believe, that just for the moment, he was free of Nathan and the pain he caused. For now, he was done with him. But not just him, he was done with love and the inevitable pain that came with it. For now, he would let his weary heart rest, for it had suffered so much at the hands of fate.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ of Albus and Scorpius laughing on the Quidditch pitch following Scorpius' reckless behaviour (that paid of)
> 
> Thanks for all the support so far! I would love to hear from you guys! I'll see you next week with a new chapter :)


	5. A Confusing Realisation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY KIDS I'M BACK! I know, it's been six days, but holy shit it feels like forever! I thank you all for waiting patiently, and I hope you enjoy chapter 5!

The rain seemed to reflect Scorpius’ mood that day perfectly.

It seems there’s only so long you can lie to yourself for until the world comes crashing down in colours of black and white. It seems that length of time is exactly twenty-six hours and thirty-two minutes.

He watched the rain fall outside the trains’ window, focusing mainly on two single drops racing down the window pane. He made a bet in his head of which was going to win. He lost. He always lost. Every single damn time. He lost in made-up bets, in arguments with his grandfather, in love and in life. He lost every time.

There was only so much you can tell yourself before you explode. You can only tell yourself that you’re over it so many times before you realise you’ll never be over it. He really thought he was, until he walked passed a carriage with only Nathan and George in it, cuddling up together and laughing and he realised he wasn’t over it.

He had half a mind to go in there and tell George everything, how Nathan had kissed him the previous day and how he could still feel him on his lips. But, he didn’t. He didn’t owe George anything anymore.

That was the worst part of it all. He didn’t owe anyone anything anymore. He lost a boyfriend and a best friend all in the same day and was reminded of it every day when he was forced to wake up next to his bed every morning.

Scorpius was thankful that summer had rolled around, because he couldn’t take much more of the Slytherin dorm rooms. Maybe time away from Hogwarts would set him free.

“Will you wipe that pout off your face?” Marley said, not lifting her eyes up from her copy of the _Prophet_. Scorpius snapped his head from the window, pulling a smile on his face.

“Happy?” He quipped, and she looked to him briefly before returning her attention to the paper.

“Are you?”

“Always.”

“Drop it,” she sighed, putting the paper down. “I know you saw Nathan and George earlier and I know it put you in a shitty mood, but Scorp, you need to stop holding onto old feelings.”

“I’m not,” he retorted, slightly harsher than intended. “I’m not holding onto old feelings,” he reiterated quieter, “I just haven’t found any new ones yet.” He shrunk into his seat, pulling the book from his lap up to hide his face from Marley’s penetrating gaze. She didn’t say anything, just loudly huffed and dramatically picked the paper up, flapping it in indignation and went back to her reading.

Scorpius reluctantly lowered his book, turning his attention back to the battling rainstorm on the Scottish hills. The wind fought heavily against the rain drops, whistling through the small cracks in the window. Thunder crackled from beyond the hills, a threat that worse was to come. Scorpius had never particularly liked storms, they were loud and scary, but he quite liked what came after them. The peace that broke through the sombre air, sunlight creeping through the dark, dull clouds blanketing the world in hues of orange. He liked it because it reminded him that even on the darkest of days, there’s was always light to come.

His father often called him an optimist, but he had known dark days where there was no chance of light. Those days were, thankfully, gone.

There was a quiet knock on the carriage door, causing both Scorpius and Marley to shoot their gaze to meet the intruder. Albus Potter opened the door, a small smile on his face and his hair brilliantly wild.

“Hey, mind if we crash in here? Everywhere else is full,” he explained, shooting Scorpius a toothy grin. Scorpius glanced quickly to Marley before back at Albus.

“Sure.”

“Thank you,” he said, coming fully in and taking seat next to Scorpius, followed by Lily, Rose and Heather. Lily sat next to Albus, the other two sitting next to Marley, who politely smiled.

“James, would you stop sulking?” Rose laughed, shoving something next to her.

“James?” Scorpius asked Albus quietly, who giggled and kicked at the empty space next to Rose. A scream of pain erupted followed by the unmistakable voice of James Potter.

“Piss off, Albus,” he huffed. Scorpius and Marley gave the other Gryffindors a questioning look.

“James is sulking,” Lily offered. “Because he wanted to finish the year beating Slytherin, but his plan for a friendly match backfired because Scorpius here is too good of a seeker,” she sent him a friendly grin which made Scorpius smile smugly in return. “Hats off to you, Malfoy, that catch yesterday was amazing,” she mimicked the action of taking off a top-hat and bowing it to him.

“Thank you, Lily. So he’s just hiding now?”

“Our dearest father should never have given him the invisibility cloak, which by the way, I think you should let me have now you’ve graduated,” Albus said causing James to rip the cloak away from his head to shoot him an incredulous look.

“And what do you need it for, dearest brother?”

“Sneaking around the castle, like you,” he replied as though the answer was obvious.

“Oh, and here’s me thinking you weren’t a Gryffindor,” Scorpius quipped. Albus clicked his tongue at him, feigning a shocked expression.

“Albus is not a Gryffindor in any way, that boy belongs in the snake pit,” James remarked, winking at Scorpius who forced a smile back. He wasn’t entirely sure if James meant that as an insult or not. Albus’ smile faltered slightly before he regained himself. He thought no one noticed; Scorpius did.

“Something wrong with that, Potter?” Scorpius asked, trying to keep as much humour in his tone as possible. James smiled mischievously back at him.

“Just to stop myself from being hexed, I’ll say no,” he joked.

“Hexing someone is probably more a Gryffindor trait, you’re all hot-headed over there, a real Slytherin would plan their attack and go about it in a way least expected.”

“And here’s me thinking you weren’t a Slytherin,” Albus quipped, flashing a cheesy grin to Scorpius who retaliated by sticking his tongue out at him. James rolled his eyes, ignoring the rest of the conversation and turning to engage in a new one with Lily. Marley huffed in indignation, turning back to the _Prophet_ whilst Rose and Heather spoke in hushed voices. Albus and Scorpius bantered back and forth, insulting each other without any meaning to the words. It was what they always did, it’s what seemed completely normal.

Scorpius thought it should have been a tense situation. Two Slytherins outnumbered by five Gryffindors – that should have been enough, but then there was Albus and Heather who were recently out of a relationship with each other which should have brought more tension. But, there was no tension at all. It was surprisingly chilled.

Scorpius was more than happy to engage in a conversation about books with Rose, who questioned what he was reading. Soon, they were all chatting away happily, even James decided to get involved and eventually Marley made a few comments. It was weird but not-so-weird at the same time. It shouldn’t have been comfortable. Scorpius’ anxiety should have been at its heightened state, but for some reason it wasn’t.

For a second - and only a second - he thought it might have something to do with the raven-haired boy sitting closely next to him.

 

* * *

 

 

Albus couldn’t quite figure out the jigsaw puzzle that was Scorpius Malfoy. He usually prided himself on knowing everything about everyone. It was the beauty of being born invisible. Those around him would ignore him, and they thought he ignored them, too. He did not. He would watch, observe, pry into the lives of other people, gathering data to store away in his brain for a later date. He thought he’d completed the Malfoy file:

  * _Happy;_
  * _Bright;_
  * _Intelligent;_
  * _Will chat your ears off for days;_
  * _Self-absorbed – that one came from his father._
  * _Talented at Quidditch;_
  * _In love with that boy with the brown hair and brilliant blue eyes._



But then he met Scorpius properly and realised he was nothing like the file he’d compiled. He began a new file, throwing out the old one, but somehow, he couldn’t complete it. Certain parts didn't add up, and overall it felt incomplete. It goes like this:

  * _Happy – but he’s not all that happy, is he?_
  * _Lost and lonely – that brown haired boy didn’t love him back._
  * _Sweet to everyone around him, no matter what pain they’ve caused him._
  * _Very, very intelligent, but not in a cocky way._
  * _He has these incredible silver eyes that always shine bright._



The thing is, his eyes didn’t always shine bright. Albus hadn’t noticed it at first. Even though he had seen the façade Scorpius’ put on, he sometimes believed it. What was it he said once: _people see what they want to see._

Albus wanted to see happiness because he’d learnt - and this was the most important thing he’d learnt about the Malfoy boy - that Scorpius deserved happiness more than anyone in this entire world.

But then, there was Life. And Life, Albus had also learnt, was a bitch. Life would never let Scorpius’ restless heart breathe. It would tear it to thousands of pieces before laying him to rest. Albus was sure of it: because a boy so pure had already been torn apart by Life, it wasn’t going to stop now. No, Life had chosen Scorpius as her latest victim.

Albus was determined to mess up her plans. He would save Scorpius from whatever hole Life was digging him. The boy deserved to be happy. Albus would make him happy, he was sure of it.

Albus didn’t know just how much Life had screwed over his new friend, however, until the Hogwarts train journey home for the summer. Their O.W.Ls had finished and he had passed with (mostly) flying colours. Scorpius was sat next to Albus, so close he could feel his warmth. Their thighs touched ever so slightly, and every time he laughed he would accidentally place his hand on Albus’ thigh before realising his mistake.

Every now and again, through his forced laughter, he would look at Albus and that was the moment he saw it. The moment he realised there was a piece missing from his puzzle, and Albus couldn’t quite figure out where – or what - that piece was. There was a glint to his eyes – his happiness. But, that wasn’t the missing piece. The missing piece lay behind his eyes. It was only present for a short moment, gone as quickly as it came, but Albus saw it. The emptiness, the longing, the fear, the pain that lay behind his silver eyes.

All the emotions he buried deep beneath the surface would rise for a short moment. It was always when he was laughing, and once Albus noticed the distant gaze, he saw everything else that came with it. He saw the slight falter of his brilliantly fake smile. He saw the way his hands would twitch as though aching for something to fiddle with. He saw the way his entire body would tense.

But it was just a moment.

A tiny, miniscule moment.

Then everything was back to normal.

You wouldn’t notice it unless you’ve become accustomed to the behaviour, and Albus was learning that he’d like to know everything about the enigma that was Scorpius Malfoy. What made him cry, what made him laugh, what he loved and didn’t love, what books were his favourite, what ice-cream he disliked, what his last meal would be if given the chance, what dead celebrities he’d love to meet. He wanted to know everything.

It was a feeling he’d never felt before.

It scared him more than enticed him.

In fact, it terrified him.

The tingling feeling left behind from his touch was something he’d never felt before. The way his laugh rang through his ears leaving him utterly overjoyed. His laugh was euphonious. He could listen to that laugh for the rest of his life and never tire from it. He could put it on a loop and listen happily, because Scorpius being happy was the most important thing.

But, then what did that mean?

Scorpius was making him feel things he’d never felt before. He felt utterly overly protective of the broken boy hidden behind masks of ecstasy. The broken boy with a missing puzzle piece. The broken boy who just wanted happiness.

Albus decided right there and then that if it was happiness Scorpius wanted, then Albus would go to the ends of the Earth to get it for him. He would battle through dragons and monsters, swim the deepest oceans, walk over a bridge of broken glass, endure fire from the hottest hell and climb the coldest of mountains if it brought that boy happiness.

He didn’t know exactly what that meant. But, he knew he meant it if that smile remained.

“Albus?” A sweet, soft voice next to him pulled Albus from his trance, and he forced his eyes away from Scorpius to meet the beautifully brown eyes of Heather. Her voice was melodic, a soft sound bringing serenity to his ears, casting a brilliant gentleness over his senses.

“Hmm?” He hummed, still, even now, taken by her beauty.

She _was_ beautiful. There was no denying that. Her chocolate eyes bright with joy, though they never shined quite like Scorpius’ did. She had a star in her eyes, whereas Scorpius had an entire constellation. Why he found himself comparing her eyes to Scorpius’, he didn’t know. He just knew that if he had to choose between looking into her eyes for the last time, or looking into his, he’d choose those beautiful silver eyes that held happiness and sadness all at once.

“I just wanted to say that I hope there’s no bad blood between us. I care about you, Al,” _Al._ He hated when people called him _Al._ Scorpius never called him that. “I hope that whatever we went through this year won’t affect our friendship,” instead of feeling hurt at her words, like he thought he should, he felt peace. He felt sort of… free. There had been a weighted anchor over his heart since their unfortunate break-up, he thought it was heartbreak, but maybe it was guilt.

It took him a long time to realise exactly how he messed up with Heather. It was simple in the end: he forgot to love her.

He did, and it’s important to know this, love her. Without a shadow of a doubt. But, he wasn’t _in_ love with her. They were friends, really good friends. They both thought that their close friendship was destined to be more, and maybe for a short moment it was. Maybe in that short-lived relationship, they really did love each other. There was a sort of intimacy that came with accepting everything about a person: their flaws, their strengths, their secrets. It was binding contract. But that contract had an expiry date and Albus found that he was completely at ease with this.

“No hard feelings, Heather,” he smiled at her and he meant it. She beamed back at him, rising from her seat to wrap him up in a hug. He basked in her warmth but noted that it didn’t give him the same thrill as it used to. It didn’t leave a tingling sensation like it used to, it was just a hug from a friend. Albus felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, releasing his lungs and allowing him to breathe again.

Outside, the sun had broken through the damp, dark clouds as they neared London.

“So, Malfoy,” Albus rolled his head back against the seat as soon as he heard James speak. “I thought you were quite popular, where’s your clique?” He asked. It was supposed to appear as a jokey question, but Albus could hear the tension in his voice. James had played nice for long enough, but some reason he did not like Scorpius, it was only a matter of time before he created trouble. It was his last chance to do so, seeing as this was his last journey on the Hogwarts Express. He’d be forced to be a civilised adult soon enough.

“I don’t have a clique." He kept a smile on his face, but Albus could see the growing distance in his eyes.

“Sure you do, you used to always be with them,” he replied, keeping the same faux-amused tone.

“Apparently when you break-up with your ex, people tend to choose sides and no one but Marley picked mine,” his face had faltered now, his lips drawn into a small pout.

“You must have fucked up pretty bad,” James laughed now.

“James!” Albus scolded, forcing bite into his tone. “You know full well that’s not the case,” he added.

“Yeah, James, stop being a dick,” Lily input, sending Scorpius a sympathetic look to which he forced a smile at.

“I’m just trying to get to the bottom of all the Slytherin drama. Parkinson must have been angry at something to shoot a Bludger at you,” James held his hands up in surrender, contorting his features into mock-innocence. Albus wanted to punch that stupid look of his face, and he would have as well, if it weren’t for Scorpius’ hand resting on his thigh. It was almost like he knew, but then he couldn’t have. Albus took a deep breath to calm his increasing heartbeat.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” Scorpius muttered quietly.

“Oh, that’s a first,” James quipped. “Can’t shut you up at prefect meetings. I can’t believe I finally silenced the great Scorpius Malfoy.”

“What’s your problem, James?” Albus asked. Scorpius shot him a look that told him to just drop it, but James was riling him up. It was unfair for him to attack him for things that were certainly not of his business. That protective feeling he’d finalised earlier suddenly crept it’s way through his bones.

“No problem at all, lil bro,” he flashed Albus a toothy sarcastic grin. Albus swallowed his anger.

“I’ll be back in a minute,” Scorpius muttered mostly to Albus. He rose from his seat, flashing a quick smile at Marley and then Albus before exiting the carriage. Albus shot a glare at his brother, one he hoped matched the fierceness of his mother.

“Why do you have to be such a dick, James?” Albus asked, standing to follow Scorpius out.

“Why do you care about him so much, Al? He’s a fucking Malfoy!” James exclaimed, as though that justified his shitty behaviour.

“So what?” He bit back, turning in the door way. The thing about Albus was: he always had to have the last word. “He’s twice the man you’ll ever be,” he spat, turning his back to his family and rushing after Scorpius down the carriage.

Where Scorpius was going, Albus wasn’t sure. He was taller than him, so walked slightly faster and by the time he caught up Scorpius had collapsed onto the floor just before the carriage ended in a more open space. He leaned against the train, pulling his legs close to his chest and resting his head on his knees. Albus dropped next to him, crossing his legs.

“I’m sorry about James,” he started, but Scorpius never showed any indication that he heard him. “Though, if I apologise to everyone for James’ actions, I’d be apologising to the whole school,” at that, Scorpius laughed. Albus’ heart did a leap of victory.

“I heard what he said and he’s right, I’m a Malfoy, why do you care so much?” He flicked his eyes to meet Albus’. Albus wasn’t a liar, but in that moment, he felt the overwhelming urge to tell the whole truth.

“I know what it’s like to be compared to your father and I hate it. My fathers’ famous for a winning a bloody war, but that’s a lot of expectation and it went mostly to me because I looked like him most,” Scorpius stared at him, baffled at where Albus was taking this. Though he never interrupted, willing to hear him out.

“Before coming to Hogwarts, my parents and aunt and uncle told me I’d be starting in the same year as you, and they told me all about Draco Malfoy and the pain and trouble he’d caused them during their school years and on the battlefield,” Scorpius winced. “I think they told me so I wouldn’t be tempted to befriend you. The prediction was that I was going into Slytherin, even my own family thought that, and they knew you’d be in that house too, no offence,” Scorpius shook his head, telling Albus he wasn’t offended.

“Anyway, I know what it was like to be compared to your parents, to have people believe you’re them rather than your own person. I wanted to start Hogwarts with a blank slate, but I wasn’t allowed. After hearing about you and seeing you hug your mum with so much force on the first day on the platform, I realised right there and then you weren’t your father despite how much you looked like him.

“I didn’t want to hold my parents’ prejudices and opinions of the Malfoy family against you. It’s why I was never cruel to you like other people were when we first started. I liked you from the moment we started those question wars,” Scorpius laughed. “And I still like you now. I stand by my thoughts, you are nothing like your father. So, I guess that’s why I care." There was so much more, but Albus kept those feelings to himself for the time being, not understanding them himself.

“That’s really nice,” he replied, smiling and meeting his eyes. “I always thought you had it easy, living up to a legend seems easier than being accused of being a death-eater because your father was,” he shrugged his shoulders.

“Tell me about your mum,” Albus said, and after seeing Scorpius wince he instantly regretted it. “You don’t have to, but I’d like to know more about her. My parents tended to ignore her when they spoke of your family.”

“People always do,” he looked away from Albus, suddenly finding the floor really interesting. He played aimlessly with his fingers and took a deep breath. He was quiet for so long that Albus thought he wasn’t going to speak at all.

“She was kind,” he finally spoke. “The kindest person ever and she loved everybody. Some say that makes her foolish and naïve, I think that just makes her nice. She would have liked you,” Albus weren’t sure how he knew that, but he relished in the compliment. “She wasn’t happy though, I think that’s the hardest part.”

 _Neither are you,_ Albus thought. Albus was beginning to think he could never figure Scorpius out with a simple list. He was far too complex.

Albus was not entirely sure how Astoria Malfoy died, he just remembered reading about it in the _Prophet_ the previous summer. Even his mother had expressed her condolences, voicing how she could never imagine how Scorpius and Draco were coping. She may not have liked the Malfoy’s, but she would never have wished that upon them. That was unimaginable pain.

“Why wasn’t she happy?” He felt the need to ask, somehow feeling that Scorpius wanted him to.

Scorpius shrugged, looking back up from the floor to Albus. “It’s a side effect of dying, I suppose.”

“She knew?” Scorpius nodded solemnly, and Albus followed his instincts and pulled the other boy into a deep hug.

“Um, we hug now?” Scorpius quipped, though he clung tighter to Albus and buried his head in his neck, as though he was scared Albus was going to pull away.

“I felt like you needed it.”

“I did.”

They pulled away after staying together for a heartbeat too long, both flushed and coughing awkwardly. Albus made to stand, brushing the dirt from the train floor from his clothes. The train was beginning to come to a stop, meaning they were finally at their destination. Albus mumbled this fact, going to turn around when Scorpius suddenly grabbed his hand to stop his motion.

“Albus,” he said, too eager. Albus forced his heart to beat a normal rate, ignoring the heat rising in his cheeks at Scorpius’ touch. Albus turned to face him, quickly disconnecting their hands. He shoved them in his pockets and raised his eyebrows at Scorpius in answer. “Weird request, but would it be okay if I write to you this summer?” Albus nearly choked on his own tongue at the question, he hadn’t been expecting that.

“Of course,” he replied, as nonchalant as possible. Truth was, he’d very much like if Scorpius wrote to him, though he’d never – ever – admit that out loud.

“Thanks, it’d be nice to have a friend,” he smiled. Scorpius rose to his feet as well, brushing himself off and Albus quickly removed his gaze away from him as he sorted himself out.

“It’d be nice to talk to you,” he mumbled, nearly incoherently. Scorpius beamed at him, and all the awkwardness that Albus had caused disappeared with that war-winning smile.

They made their way back to their carriage, grabbing their bags and following the rest of Albus’ family off the train. Scorpius waved him goodbye, running over to his father and embracing him into a hug. Albus noted that as soon as Scorpius was wrapped in his fathers’ arms, his smile disappeared. He was going home, there would be no need to pretend anymore.

It broke Albus’ heart.

Albus was waved over to his parents, so he shared one last glance and wave with Scorpius before heading off and hugging his parents with everything he had. He pulled his mum tightly into an embrace, inhaling her scent and basking in her warmth. He had missed her the most, and after talking to Scorpius, he felt even more grateful for his mothers’ presence.

They made their way home and it had only been hours since he last saw Scorpius, but he found himself looking forward to his owl.

Albus was terrified what that meant because he liked girls right? Not boys.

He really needed to talk to someone about this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing of Albus "I would fight dragons for Scorpius Malfoy if that made him happy but we're just good bro friends" Potter knocking on the carriage by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/  
> I'm sorry that James is a dick, he mostly means well but it's James and that's just how I see him...
> 
> Kudos and comments welcome! I'd love to hear your thoughts so far!


	6. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Albus and Scorpius exchange letters back and forth throughout the summer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up: the crossed out parts cannot be read by the other person.  
> Enjoy!

~~_Dear Albus_ ~~

~~_Hey Albus_ ~~

_Albus,_

_I know summer only started a few days ago, so I guess this letter is being written prematurely and I’m not even entirely sure what to write so I guess I’ll start with how my summer has been so far._

_Mostly boring, to be completely honest. The Manor is always too quiet, eerily so if you ask me, so mostly I just sit in my room and do homework or read books. Which reminds me, are you taking Muggle Studies next year? I am, and we have to write a poem and I’m a little stumped, have never been very good with words that actually mean something, usually I just ramble until someone tells me to shut up which is what I’m doing now even though I’m writing. Wow, weird how your thoughts can translate to page._

_Anyway, how’s your summer going? ~~Would love to hear from you soon.~~ I hope it’s much more enjoyable than mine. Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! (I really hope this comes on your actual birthday but I’m not sure it will._

_Scorpius ~~Hyperion Malfoy x~~_

* * *

 

_Scorpius,_

_It was honestly quite a relief to hear from you so soon, my summers been just as boring so it’s a nice change of pace. It’s been spent mostly with my family, with various other members of my family coming to visit. Honestly, it all very exhausting. Especially when you’re me and don’t exactly fit in with anybody, except maybe Teddy, he’s my godbrother. I like him more than my actual brother, but don’t tell James I said that._

_Thank you for the birthday wish! It came on the day but we were out at the Burrow so I didn’t get it till the day after. But, it’s sweet you remembered! Thank you._

_Unfortunately, I didn’t get enough credits from my Muggle Studies O.W.L. to continue it on to N.E.W.T., but I never enjoyed it much anyway, so I’m afraid I can’t be of much more help. I can’t believe you’re doing homework already, honestly you are such a dork._

_Will you be up to much at all this summer? Or is it mostly sitting at home? ~~I can’t imagine the manor being the friendliest of places to be.~~_

_Albus ~~x~~_

* * *

 

_Albus,_

_Teddy as in Teddy Lupin? He’s my cousin, well twice removed or something like that, I’m not really sure. We don’t see him anymore ever since Andromeda died, not that I blame him much, I’d prefer to hang out with your family too if I had the option. I’m sure your family events are much more pleasant than mine, mine usually end in me and my grandfather arguing and dad getting angry at him because he upset me and then we don’t see them for like two months and then they come over and history repeats itself. It’s the most bit of entertainment I get. Speaking of which, they’re coming over tonight so yay me! ~~(I really hope the sarcasm came across then).~~_

_I am also going to Italy with my father in a couple of weeks so that’ll be fun, but whereas I like to sightsee, my father likes to do nothing. We don’t share the same interests, like I said I’m very much like my mother who used to always come with me and leave grumpy Draco in the hotel room. I have no idea what we’re going to do this year without her here._

_Do you have any exciting trips planned? Sorry I feel like I’m asking the same thing over and over, wow, this must be boring for you. Sorry, I’m nothing but repetitive and boring. They should call me Malfoy the Mundane haha._

_Scorpius x_

* * *

 

_Malfoy the Mundane,_

_I think that name has quite a nice ring to it._

_Yes, Teddy as in Lupin, he doesn’t often talk about your family. I don’t think he ever got on much with your dad. He’s great, but he’s also in the Against the Malfoys club (or ATM as I’ve grown to call it), don’t worry, nothing they say will ever sway my opinion on you. I think you’re pretty great._

_I’d also love to be at one of your family gatherings, to see you screwing off at your grandfather – that would be hilarious! I’d pay good money to witness it, actually I think a lot of people would, even the proud members of ATM! But, Italy sounds fun. We never go on holidays; the parents work way too much. Sometimes we’ll go to the beach, but that’s a rarity, too._

_Anyway, I don’t think you’re boring in the slightest, but if you think that we’re being repetitive then we could make it interesting, tell me a secret._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albus ‘nosey’ Potter,_

_Tell you a secret? I don’t have any secrets, I’m an open book._

_And as for the ATM club, I’d quite like to know what they talk about. To be honest, think I could become a proud member myself, do you think they’ll except me as an honorary member, you know because I hold the name? It’ll die with me, that’s got to count for something._

_Scorpius x_

* * *

 

_Scorpius, honorary member of the ATM,_

_I think they may accept you, I’ll talk to my dad as I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to have a spy on the inside._

_As for the secret thing, I know you’re lying. Everyone has secrets. You trust me, right?_

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albus,_

_Okay, I’ll tell you a secret if you tell me one, too._

_My secret: I’m afraid._

_Scorpius x_

* * *

 

_Scorpius,_

_Afraid of what may I ask? Pretty sure I heard you refer to yourself as ‘Malfoy the Unanxious’ once, do you do that often? Refer to yourself in the third person?_

_My secret: I’m afraid too, ~~of people seeing the real me.~~_

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albus (I’m getting tired of starting these letters all the same but haven’t came up with anything good enough yet, do you have a nickname? I know you don’t like Al, but how do you feel about Albie? Or Bus? Okay, that’s weird, never mind),_

_I’m afraid of ~~letting someone in, of falling in love again only to get my heart broken. It sucks, and I don’t think I could ever let anyone else like that into my life again,~~ spiders._

_And yes, I do that often. But, you literally witnessed one of my panic attacks, so you know full well I am not unanxious. Actually, my buddy, my pal, I am full of anxiety._

_What are you afraid of?_

_Scorpius x_

* * *

 

_Malfoy the not-so-unanxious,_

_You can feel free to call me whatever you like, but it’s true I don’t like being called Al, not that my family have quite got that message yet. Albie was a childhood nickname, only my gran calls it me now, but I don’t mind it._

_Spiders? Really? For some reason, Malfoy, I don’t believe you. But you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I’ll tell you mine._

_I’m afraid of people seeing the real me, realising I was never meant to be in Gryffindor, realising I’m the worst possible son of the Chosen One, realising I’m just a sad pathetic loser._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_First of all, you are not a sad pathetic loser. I’m pretty sure you’ve let me see the real you and he’s an amazing person. He’s funny and incredible and kind and caring. I know the newspapers don’t care about things as mundane as that, but I do. That’s got to count for something. Don’t ever disvalue your worth, because you’re the best person I’ve ever met._

_I’ll confess my secret to. I wrote it all down before but got too scared and scribbled it out. So, here goes: I’m afraid of people. I’m afraid of letting someone in and them breaking my heart. It hurt so much the first time, it still hurts. You put your faith and trust in someone only for them to drop it off the top of the Astronomy Tower. I don’t know if I could ever let someone in again. My self-esteem was at an all time low, then Nathan came along and fixed me. Do you know how hard it is to be broken by the very person who fixed you?_

_I’m sorry, that got incredibly depressing._

_So, I won’t be able to reply for two weeks because Italy, but I’ll write as soon as I’m back! Try not to miss me too much!_

_Scorpius x_

* * *

 

_Scorpius,_

_Enjoy Italy! Actually, you probably won’t get this till your back so, how was Italy?_

_You’re incredibly sweet, those things that you said was really nice. No ones ever told me something like that before. Your opinion does count for something. In fact, it counts for everything. Thank you._

_To be honest, I don’t know what to tell you. What I do know is that someone will love you for you one day, and all this will seem like silly high school drama. That’s shit advice, I’m aware, but promise me you’ll never accept anything less than you deserve? You once told me you were lucky to have Nathan whilst you did, that’s bullshit. You deserve someone who will give you the world. Never settle for anything less than that._

_So, can I ask you something kind of personal? You can say no if you want._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_Oh my, Italy was incredible! It was absolutely beautiful and everything I thought it would be! I actually got you something, because I didn’t get you anything for your birthday and I thought I owed you it. You’ve been so great to me, so I felt like I owed you. So, this is a happy birthday present, and a thank you present (did I ever thank you for being such a good friend the past month, if not thank you!) So, I have attached your present, I hope you like it._

_You’re sweet Albus, thank you. ~~Maybe one day I’ll believe it.~~_

_You can ask me anything, fire away!_

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scor (it’s Scor now?)_

_You didn’t have to get me anything at all but thank you so much! I absolutely love it and will treasure it forever!_

_My question is: how did you know you were gay?_

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_You started calling me Scor first, remember? The night after the party. It’s weird, no ones ever called me that before, but I quite like it. My parents were never a fan of nicknames, but my mum sometimes called me ‘Scorpy’ which I hated. It was cute when I was three, not so much at thirteen._

_As for the gay thing, it was kind of a lot of little things. First of all, my parents were always super supportive of me, always encouraged me to be myself, so I guess when I figured it all out, telling them was easy. But, figuring it out was complicated with a lot of messy emotions and feelings. The first big tell was the crush I had on someone in our year in third year (and no, I’m not telling you who it was). Then, I used to fantasise over male Quidditch players rather than female, especially Joseph Leeland of Puddlemere United. Eventually, the feelings got too confusing and I broke down crying to my mum who told me that there was nothing to worry about, that she’ll always love me. After my parents approval I didn’t care who knew. I came out at school to my friends and then, yeah. That’s it really._

_Why do you ask? Actually, you don’t have to answer that, no pressure at all._

_Scor x_

* * *

 

Albus had to read over the letter a few times. It never settled the confusing feelings in his head. He was excited every time Scorpius’ owl turned up at his house and he’d run up to his room and read it straight away and reply immediately. He’d never been so excited about hearing from someone before.

Then there were the physical changes. Scorpius’ letters caused his heart to beat rapidly, his mouth to go strangely dry, his stomach flutter with butterflies. He’d get all flustered any time anyone asked him who was writing to him and he’d stutter over his words and run off. Albus never stuttered, he was too confident for that.

He put the letter in his draw along with the others and locked it using a spell. He crept downstairs quietly, despite only his mother being in the house. James was at his new job at their uncle Ron’s shop, it was temporary until he started Professional Quidditch in a few months. His father had taken Lily to her friends house, so he wouldn’t have long before he returned.

“Mum?” He mumbled, voice sounding weaker than usual. He felt on the verge of tears, not really sure why or what he was going to tell her. Sensing something was wrong, Ginny rose from her seat and rushed to Albus to embrace him in a hug. He wasn’t really sure why, but he burst into tears, drying his eyes on the fabric of her shirt.

“What’s up, little Albie?” She asked, whispering in his ear and stroking his hair. This was ridiculous, he was sixteen as crying into his mother and for what?

“I need to ask you something,” he spoke quietly, finding his voice. He pulled away from her to meet her eye. She had a sympathetic look to her, the kind he often saw when one of her children was hurting and she didn’t know how to fix it.

“Ask away, did you want some tea?” She asked, stroking his cheek, wiping away any stray tears. He nodded numbly, and she guided him into the kitchen. Albus let her make the tea first before she joined him at the table, pushing a mug towards him. He preferred coffee personally, but any hot drink would be heaven right now.

“Did you-” he started, then stopped, unable to find the right words. His mother stayed quiet, taking hold of his hand not wrapped around his mug. “You know how I’ve always been different?” He asked now, staring intently at his tea, unable to meet her eyes for fear of what he’d find there.

“I’d love to protest, but I know you want me to listen, so yes,” she replied, squeezing his hand.

“Would you hate me if I was even more different?”

Albus didn’t have to see her face to know she was taken aback. “I’d never hate you, Albus. No matter what, I will always love you. You’re my little boy,”

“I’m not little anymore, mum,” he managed a chuckle and a small smile. He took a quick glance at her to find she was smiling fondly.

“You always will be to me,” she stroked his hair, trailing her hand to his cheek. Albus swallowed the lump in his throat and looked back at his tea.

“I like someone,” his voice was brittle. “I think.”

“Something tells me this isn’t about Heather,” Albus had only told her that he and Heather are no longer an item at the beginning of summer. His parents thought his skittish and private behaviour was because of the break-up, they would be wrong. Albus shook his head.

“It’s a boy,” he spoke so quietly that Ginny had to lean in to hear what he said. But when she did, she never recoiled or gasped. She just got up from her seat and wrapped him in a hug, kissing the top of his head.

“That’s what you were so worried about telling me? Oh Albus, honey it’s okay,” she mumbled against him and Albus started crying again. He knew his mum would never have a problem with him, but it felt so good to hear it from her for real.

“But what does this mean? I thought I liked girls,” Albus said once his mother had wiped his tears and returned to her seat. She pulled the wooden chair closer, so she could hold his hands more comfortably.

“You can like both and that’s okay,” he knew that, but accepting that he liked boys as well meant accepting that he liked Scorpius. He couldn’t like Scorpius, he was way out of Albus’ league. He’d never like him back. Plus, Scorpius was broken, he just told Albus he’d never be able to let anyone in again. He wanted to change that so badly but didn’t know if he could do it on his own.

“I know,” he whispered, voice thick with emotion.

“Am I going to find out who this mystery boy is?” She teased, winking at him.

“Oh no, not yet! Can I ask you one more thing though?” He asked, chewing on his bottom lip. Ginny nodded, a sincere look on her face. “He’s just got out of a relationship and he’s heartbroken, he doesn’t believe that anyone could truly love him, how do I change that?”

“Oh honey, that’s nothing that can be fixed in a day. All you have to do is show him and over time he’ll start to believe it.”

“Thanks mum,” he smiled at her as genuinely as he could. He got up and kissed her on the forehead and wrapped her in a hug. He pulled away and went to walk upstairs when her voice stopped him.

“Albus?” She said, causing Albus to turn on his heels.

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay now?”

He nodded. “I am mum, thank you,” she nodded, and he went to turn away again, but then a niggling thought stopped him. “Mum?” She hummed in response, her brown eyes meeting his green. “Are you surprised?”

“No,” she shook her head.

“Did you know?”

“Nope.”

“But you aren’t shocked?”

“No, I guess I knew you were hiding something since you got back, but I didn’t know what. I’m glad you could tell me, and I’m proud of you,” her words made his face break into an unbearably wide smile.

“Thank you, but don’t tell dad yet, I want to tell him.”

“Of course,” with that, Albus returned to his room to write back to Scorpius.

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_Now you’ve told me about your childhood nickname, you bet I’m going to call you that now._

_Also, I think it’s rude to keep from me your childhood crush who made you discover your sexuality, come on, who was it? Our year, right? I bet it was Yann, he’s always been pretty good looking, or was it Harry Creevey in Hufflepuff? He’s voted third best looking guy in our year by the Gryffindor girls (don’t ask me how I know that)._

_And about the question, I only ask because I’m trying to figure some things out, no biggie._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE REPLY! I know it’s not really late, but it’s two days later than normal. I can explain, I was in St Mungos. Dad thought it’d be fun if we had a friendly game of Quidditch, but it turns out me and him have different definitions of friendly. He did not go easy on me. He started charming the Bludgers to hit me! Anyway, one succeeded and I fell off my broom and broke my leg. You always said I’m the clumsiest Quidditch player ever and it’s honestly so true. They kept me in for another day because after they healed my leg, I accidentally fell whilst getting out of bed (my leg got caught up in the bedsheet) and knocked myself out. They wanted to make sure there was no further damage so kept me in for another day. My father mostly just laughed at me the entire time, what a monster! Anyway, yeah, I’m sorry! Hope you weren’t sat waiting for my owl like I do for yours, wait. I should never have said that, that’s embarrassing!_

_Moving on! It was neither your friend Yann or Harry Creevey. Though, I’ll give you this: he is in Gryffindor. And Harry’s third best looking? Who’s first?_

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_Wow, you are a clumsy idiot. How do you manage it? You know seekers are supposed to be graceful? Also, I’ve seen your dad and he has plenty grace, did he just keep it all to himself because you are the least graceful person I’ve ever met! Okay, enough teasing, I hope you’re okay and didn’t mess up your pretty face at all, that would be a shame._

_A Gryffindor boy in our year? Hmm, I’d say Karl, but I’d have to get your head checked out if it was him, maybe Warren Jordan, Heather’s brother?_

_Okay, don’t freak out. But you’re first, apparently girls are a sucker for your blond hair and – quote – ‘irresistible grey eyes’, though I’ve always thought your eyes are more silver, grey seems to dull to describe them._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

“You’re smiling!” His fathers’ voice scared him out of reading. Scorpius quickly swiped Albus’ letter into a draw and turned to his father, who was standing against the doorframe in the entrance to his room, looking as graceful as ever. Scorpius was reminded of Albus’ claim that he should have inherited some of that grace and forced away the urge to roll his eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Scorpius asked, gesturing for his father to enter.

“You never smile anymore,” oh. His father noticed. Of course, he did, but Scorpius was tired of pretending at school. He didn’t have to pretend as much at home. His father was experiencing similar pain.

“My professors at Hogwarts would tell you different,” Scorpius said, getting up and joining his father who sat on the end of his bed.

“You know, your mother was very good at pretending, too,” he sounded sad and Scorpius felt guilty for not being happier. If he could be happier then his father could be, too. His father sounded genuinely happy when he remarked that Scorpius was smiling, which made Scorpius glad to have a friend like Albus who made him happy.

“You always say I’m most like her,” he was always most proud of that.

“You are everything like her,” Draco reached a hand up to run through Scorpius’ hair. “I couldn’t be prouder of you. You haven’t an ounce of Malfoy in you, or even Greengrass really, you’re 100% Astoria, she was always pretty unique, too,” there was a distance to his voice, like he was caught up in reminiscence. He was thinking of his mother and he was smiling about it, Scorpius liked that he could still be happy when remembering her.

“Do you miss her?” Scorpius asked. It was a stupid question, he knew that. But, he needed to know he wasn’t the only one who still did, even a year later.

“Every day,” his voice had turned brittle.

“Me too,” Draco pulled Scorpius in, wrapping an arm around his shoulders to allow Scorpius to bury his head in his chest. “Dad?” He asked, trying to hold back tears.

“Yeah, son?”

“Nate cheated on me,” he had told his father they had broken up as soon as it happened, he did not, however, tell him why. He knew his father would come straight to Hogwarts and hex the bastard into next week. Scorpius had done that on his own, he didn’t need his father to fight his battles.

Draco pulled away from the hug, grabbing Scorpius by the arms to hold him in place and so he would look at him. Grey eyes met grey, one pair stern, the other vulnerable.

“He did what?” His anger was not directed at him, but the stern tone made Scorpius feel slightly uneasy.

“Please calm down, it’s done,” he pleaded.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because you’d have come to school to hex him, I don’t need my dad fighting my battles, I can handle myself,” Scorpius chuckled, nudging his dad slightly.

“I know you can, I taught you everything I know,” his dad stroked his cheek and Scorpius smiled at him.

“I think I like someone else, but there’s a problem,” he looked sheepishly up at his dad, knowing he’d rather be anywhere else but having this conversation with his son.

“We’re talking about boys? God, I wish your mother was still here to have these conversations instead,” Scorpius chuckled at that.

“I’m scared, dad,” the atmosphere turned serious, the previous humorous feeling dissipating fast. “I’m scared to let someone in like that again. I don’t ever want to feel that pain again.”

“I’m not very good at this, but I’ll tell you what I think your mother would have told you. The thing about heartbreak is that it’s painful and messy and mostly unbearable, but you’ve done it once and it may still hurt right now, but it won’t always. One day you’ll find someone who loves you unconditionally, your mother loved me despite everything, you are no different. It will take a lot of work and for someone to love you, they will probably have to put in work to earn the trust that someone else broke, but if they love you enough, they’ll work for it. I promise you that,” he pulled Scorpius in again, kissing him on the crown of his head.

“Now you sound really like mum,” he mumbled back, burying his head further into his fathers’ chest and wrapping his arms around him.

“I do try.” They stayed like that for a while, before their house elf called them for dinner. Scorpius would write back to Albus after.

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_Are you claiming you’re a better seeker than me just because you’re more graceful? You know I can wipe the floor with you, Potter. But never fear, my ‘pretty face’ is perfectly intact. ~~How’s yours?~~_

_It is not Heather’s brother. Are you just going to keep asking until you’ve narrowed it down? There are thirty Gryffindor boys in your year, could take a while._

_I’m voted first????????????????????????? Wow, I’m quite shocked. I bet you’re second._

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_I’m not claiming anything, but I think you winning two games against me this year proves who the better seeker is, I’d still like to try my chances. Speaking of Quidditch, you said you might quit the team, please tell me you won’t, I need someone decent to lose against._

_Thirty is not that many, how about Elijah Finch-Fletchley? Or Kyle Spock? Both decently looking._

_Yes, you and your pretty face is first. And second out of the whole school, that’ll probably change now. James was first, and he’s graduated now, so you might move up. And yes, I’m second. How did you know that?_

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_I haven’t decided on Quidditch yet. I’d hate to quit, but I’m not sure if I can handle being on the team. Maybe I’ll just join back in seventh year after Nate’s gone. I don’t know, yet. My dad might disown me if I quit._

_Neither of those. Now drop it._

_So, you really think I’m pretty? And I didn’t know you were second, but I’m also not blind. You’re gorgeous, seems bizarre I’m above you._

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_Please don’t quit. Please!_

_Fine, I’ll drop it, but just because I’ll pester you when we’re back at Hogwarts._

_Yes, I do think you’re pretty, dumbass._

_Also, I hope you’re okay. I know the anniversary of your mums death is coming up, must be a difficult time for you. If you need to get out of the manor or just want someone to talk to physically who isn’t your dad, feel free to floo call me. I’m not good at advice, but I can be a pretty good distraction. Me and my mum sent flowers for you, attached to this letter. I hope you’re okay._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_You didn’t reply to my last letter, I’m just checking in. I hope you’re okay. Please just respond, even if it’s just to tell me you’re okay._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_I’m sorry, this week has been a mess. I’ve been a mess and so has dad. I didn’t mean to ignore you, I just couldn’t figure out what to say._

_Thank you for the flowers, they’re lovely. I gave them to mum, I’m sure she’ll love them._

_I’m okay, or at least I’m getting there. I’m sorry about worrying you, thank you for caring, you’re really sweet._

_I can’t wait to get back to Hogwarts._

_Scor x ~~~~_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_It’s okay, you needed space to grieve, it’s completely fine! I can’t imagine how difficult this must be._

_It’s okay, we’ll be back at Hogwarts in two weeks. Honestly, I can’t wait to see you._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_Fun fact: If Pinocchio says “My nose will grow now”, it will create a paradox. His nose will have to grow to make the statement not a lie, but if his nose grows then the statement would not be a lie._

_Wow, you definitely don’t care about my three a.m. epiphanies. I’ve definitely been reading way too much muggle literature, but it’s very interesting. Do you read? You don’t really strike me as the type. Anyway, even if you do or if you don’t, I’m sending you my favourite muggle book: To Kill a Mockingbird. Cliché, I know, but we’re doing it in Muggle Studies this year and it’s really good. You don’t have to read it, I just thought you might like to. Excuse all the messy notes and highlighting, I like to remember my favourite parts._

_I can’t wait to see you, too._

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_That’s an interesting thought. What on Earth was you doing awake at 3am?_

_I’m not much of a reader, but for you I shall read this. I’ll let you know what I think, but it will probably take me a long time to read it._

_But, since we’re sharing interesting facts: did you know my family are complete morons?_

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_Sometimes I just can’t sleep, and I had run out of sleeping draughts, plus I don’t really like taking them because they give me headaches. So, I read instead. How do you think I get through so many books?_

_I hope you like it!_

_I’m sure that’s not true, but why?_

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_So, you’re a genius because you don’t sleep? Pretty sure Einstein was the same._

_Well, sit back and grab a blanket, you’re in for one hell of a story. Mum and dad both celebrated their birthdays together this year, admittingly late (by two weeks but they were both too busy). The party was held at the Burrow (Gran and Grandpas place) and the ENTIRE family was there. I mean everyone, all from the Weasley side, which you know as well as I do how big that is._

_Anyway, as what usually happens, there’s a Quidditch game. James, the self-conceited dickhead, decided to take it upon himself to join mums team, which I thought particularly unfair because me and dad were both seekers, and therefore should have been in separate teams. Anyway, that’s not the important part. The game was well under way and we were winning, which James was not too happy about._

_He called a half time and spoke to all his team members, and just for affect, we spoke to. So, James had Teddy, my Uncle George and his son Freddie on his team – a.k.a. the biggest troublemakers Hogwarts has ever seen. Both James and Fred truly live up to their namesakes, trust me. Because halfway through the match, James, George, Fred and Teddy all release some WWW (Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes) products. James released some Weasley’s snowstorm, which caused it to snow all over us, then Freddie released colour changing shampoo, which combined somehow with the weather changer so anyone in the snow got soaked and our hair got turned pink. PINK. Lily was loving it, me and father however, didn’t share the same view._

_THEN, George released a Portable swamp. So, everyone on my team was forced to the ground because of the dramatic weather and all landed in a fucking swamp! My clothes are ruined, and I was really cold, and nothing warmed me up! I’m also currently not speaking to any of them because we got into a pretty bad argument after that. Me and James haven’t spoken since it happened, gran and grandpa went mad at them for ruining their garden. The four of them have been cleaning it up ever since._

_Anyway, the whole day was a complete disaster because if that wasn’t bad enough, my aunt Hermione got called away on some ministry business which meant Ron, Hugo and Rose were miserable because she’s been spending all her time there recently, and then Gran accidentally burnt the chicken because she was too busy fussing over getting the rest of us dry and clean and our hair back to a normal colour._

_I really need to be back at Hogwarts now._

_Albus x_

* * *

 

_Albie,_

_That. Is. Fucking. Hilarious._

_Can I please just be adopted by your family? I bet your hair looked adorable pink, please tell you took at least one picture??? I’m really glad you told me this story, I needed some entertainment and honestly right now can’t stop laughing._

_I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more sympathetic. Are you still cold (even like a week later) and need me to cuddle you to warm you up?_

_But it’s still hilarious._

_We go back to school in four days!!!_

_Scor x_

* * *

 

_Scorpy,_

_Trust me when I say you do not want to be adopted into my family. I’m so glad you found my embarrassment and humiliation so funny. I’ll be sure to remember that next time you get embarrassed and humiliated._

_I am fully recovered, though my ego may be slightly bruised, maybe you could nurse that back to health._

_As we go back to school, I’m guessing this will be the last letter so, I’ll see you at Hogwarts! Can’t wait._

_Albus x_

 

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ of Albus having a heart-to-heart with his mum.  
> Let me know your thoughts so far!


	7. Oh, what it's like to have a crush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swear these chapters are getting longer, hope none of y'all are complaining about that! I'm getting amazing feedback so far so thank you guys! I love every single one of you and love to hear from you, so please keep it coming! It does wonders for my ego *insert crying laughing face here*  
> Enjoy!!!  
> Kudos to those who spot the Brooklyn 99 and Friends reference :')

To say that he was relieved to be returning to Hogwarts and out of the suffering embrace of his family was a dramatic understatement. Just stepping onto Platform 9 and ¾, Albus immediately felt the breath of fresh air that spoke of freedom. Soon he would be away from his mothers’ over-worrying and fathers’ stern looks. Soon it would just be him and his friends and open corridors to cause trouble – he couldn’t, after all, not follow in James’ legacy.

Though pranks had never really been his thing, no. This year, Albus wanted to explore the unexplored crevices of the ancient castle, find the Room of Requirement and get lost in the Artefacts Room. Sixth year was perfect for this, for one he had the Marauders’ Map from his godbrother Teddy and the invisibility cloak from James – he’d finally given it up just until Albus graduated. He chose this year because even though N.E.W.Ts were starting, there would be no final exams that determined his future. It would be stressful, but also entirely less stressful that the previous year had been.

“Albus Severus Potter, have you grown?” Yann spoke by way of greeting, blocking Albus’ journey through the platform with a shit-eating grin.

“Yann Fredericks, have you grown… uglier?” He quipped, the same shit-eating grin on his own face as they both burst into laughs. Yann grabbed Albus into a hug, causing him to abandon his trolley to which his dad thankfully grabbed onto and carried on without him. He would be looking for Hermione and Ron. Albus and Yann pulled away and began making their way through the crowd, caught up in a conversation on their summers.

Karl joined the other side of Albus, swinging his arms over his shoulder. Grown or not, Albus was still the smallest among his friends.

“Oh, and look what I got,” Yann said, turning to walk backwards and flashing a badge in Albus’ and Karl’s face. Albus’ face lit up.

“No way, you made captain!”

“Damn right, I did. Honestly thought your cousin would have got it, but I guess it shows who’s the better chaser,” he joked.

“I’m a beater, dumbass,” a voice came from behind him. He spun quickly to see Albus’ cousin Rose wearing a sour look.

“Watch your tone, Rosie, or you may not make the team this year,” he teased, ruffling up her long curled hair with his hand, shooting her a mischievous smirk. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning away back to her father, who was shooting Yann a pair of daggers. Albus wondered at what point they would give up their incessant flirting and just start dating already. It had been like this since third year.

“I think she’s warming to me,” Yann said, turning back to Albus and Karl.

“Keep dreaming, mate,” Karl replied. “Anyways, catch you on the train, it’s little bros first year so I’ve got to get him settled,” Karl busted into a run, weaving awkwardly through the crowd. Yann and Albus waved him off. The trains horn sounded, and Yann disappeared to say goodbye to his parents. Albus turned to his mum and dad, the former who was on the verge of tears, the latter wearing a fond smile and he listened to Lily drill on and on.

“Have a good year, don’t get into trouble,” his mum said pulling him in for a hug. She always got emotional when sending them away, almost like she was scared they wouldn’t come back. Albus thought it was irrational, but for someone who attended Hogwarts during the war, maybe it wasn’t such an irrational thought.

“I will mum. Have a good year, that is, not get into trouble,” they shared a chuckle before she released him and embraced Lily. Albus hugged his dad goodbye.

“Hey dad, I just have something to say before I go,” he said, holding onto the hug so as to not look at him.

“What is it, Al?” Albus wondered exactly when his family would get out of the habit of calling him Al. He really did hate it. Albus took a deep breath and pulled away from his father.

“I’m bi… sexual. As in I like boys and girls… Okay, bye, I love you both,” he quickly rushed, grabbing Lily’s hand and rushing off to the trains compartment, not turning back to gauge his dad’s reaction. As soon as they were safe inside the train, Lily burst out laughing as she followed Albus through the train.

“Did you really just come out to dad like that?” She continued through laughs, seemingly okay with the fact that he technically just come out to her as well. He knew Lily would be fine with it, he knew both his parents would be. He just didn’t want his dad trying to give him an awkward talk. At least this way he knows, and it saves them both the embarrassment. “I mean, that’s hilarious, Albus.”

“Whatever,” he muttered back which only made her laugh more. Albus got to the compartment that held Yann, Rose and Karl, whose little brother was also sat with them. “Bye, Lily,” he spoke quickly, entering the compartment and locking her out. She stuck a middle finger at him, speaking some profanity he didn’t hear before stalking off. Albus laughed, placing his carry-on on the overhead luggage space, pulling out Scorpius’ book and plonked himself next to Yann and Rose.

“Albus Severus Potter, I didn’t know you could read,” Yann exclaimed, yanking the book from Albus’ hands to inspect it. It was a pretty battered copy, showing how much it had been read in the past. Albus hoped he would be careful, he would hate to return it to Scorpius broken.

“Careful, it’s not mine,” he said, and Yann nodded thoughtfully, flicking gently through the pages. Albus turned to the first-year boy staring at him with wide-eyes. That was the usual reaction. It was his dad that was famous, yet for some reason people still loved him too. Probably because he looked so much like him.

“Hey,” Albus said, reaching his hand out. “What’s your name?” The younger boy shook his hand enthusiastically, his glasses bopping up and down on his face. He looked so much like Karl had in their first year, it was uncanny.

“Campbell, but you can call me Cam,” he smiled brightly, all the joy of being a first-year crammed into his face. Albus remembered the excitement.

“I’m-“

“Albus Potter,” he interrupted, and Karl rolled his eyes. “Your mum played for the Hollyhead Harpies,” for a moment, Albus had to recover from the shock. Everyone usually went straight for his father, his mothers’ fame unnoticed or regarded second. It was nice that his mum was finally getting the recognition she deserved.

“That’s right,” he smiled. “I like him,” he said to Karl who beamed, but also rolled his eyes again. Albus understood exactly how he felt: proud that someone liked his brother, but also having to play the older brother role and pretend to be annoyed.

“Thanks,” he beamed. “I’m going to find some other first-years, I don’t want to spend the whole journey with my loser brother,” he said, playfully pushing Karl before sprinting out the cart in fear of retaliation. Rose got up as well to go to the prefects meeting and start her rounds. Albus was forever thankful he never got appointed prefect, it seemed rather boring.

He took the book back from Yann, who had decided to curl up in a ball and sleep, using his robes as a blanket. Karl had opted for listening to music, raving about the new Sleeping Occamies album before tuning out the world. Left in peace and quiet, Albus opened his book. He had only read a few chapters so far, it usually took him a long time because he liked to focus as hard as possible. He also often got distracted by Scorpius’ highlights and notes throughout the book. Reading his opinions was usually more fascinating than the book.

There were only a few moments of peace to read the book, various members of the Quidditch team were coming in and out to say hi and talk about their summers and the new season. Many of Albus’ cousins had come to visit, too. The six hours went by fairly quickly, and they were about half an hour away from Hogwarts when Albus had finally managed to emerge himself back in the book. A quote stood out to him, one that sounded scarily like Scorpius had last year:

_“People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for.”_

Albus was reminded why people read. It makes them so much wiser and smarter. In that moment, Scorpius made complete sense. Albus had been trying to figure out his missing piece, and it turns out that he never really had one. His missing piece was the person he hid behind. He put out this perception of himself, a version of himself to the world that everyone saw and knew and loved, and then there was the real him. The him that Albus had defined as the missing puzzle piece. It wasn’t missing at all, it was just hiding.

His reading was interrupted by the knocking on the carriage door, followed by it opening and a blond head appearing through it.

“Hey,” he said to Albus and Albus felt his mood increase just with Scorpius’ presence. He instantly sat up straighter in his seat.

“Hey,” he responded.

“Oh- erm, just checking you’re all in robes, prefect duties,” he explained, breaking the lingering gaze he held with Albus to flick his eyes to the other two boys and returning his eyes back to Albus.

“We’re all good,” Albus replied, unable to take his eyes away from Scorpius. _Did he get even better looking over the summer?_ He thought, that didn’t seem possible but somehow, he did. His hair was shorter than usual, indicating a recent trim. It was styled neater than he usually wore it, too, though towards the end of last year he had been neglecting it slightly. His jaw was slightly more angled, he looked generally sharper around the edges. He looked good. Really good.

“Oh, you’re reading my book, do you like it?” He asked, growing increasingly more excited with every word. He bounced up and down on his toes and his smile was so bright it nearly blinded Albus.

“Oh yeah, loving it so far. Admittingly, I am preferring your notes over the actual book, but it’s really good,” he beamed back.

“Which part are you at?” Albus handed the book to Scorpius to take. He glanced briefly over the words, his smile growing even bigger – if that was even possible. “That’s my favourite quote,” he replied, passing the book back and referring to the quote Albus had pointed out to himself earlier.

“I figured, you’re quite a fan of the concept,” he teased, and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, well, it’s true. I have to carry on, but I’ll see you at the Welcome Feast, you know from across the tables.”

“See you then,” they locked eyes for a second longer, faces mirroring each other: bright smiles and twinkling eyes.

“Bye,” Scorpius broke the trance eventually, throwing a hand up in a half-hearted wave before disappearing from the door. Albus watched him go, watching as his robes flew behind him until his shockingly white hair disappeared from sight, and with it Albus’ breath.

Karl took out a singular ear bud. “Did we exist at all, then?” He quipped, aiming the question at Yann who chuckled and shrugged. “You still there, Albus?” He asked, pulling Albus from his trance.

“Hmm?” He looked at him in question.

“Since when did you and Malfoy start flirting?” Yann asked, causing a snort from Karl.

“Wh- flirting? Come on, don’t be ridiculous,” he tried to play of as nonchalant, but his friends saw right through him. They were his friends for a reason.

“Does it have to be him?” Karl asked and Albus was about to go off on a rant about how he was a good person when Yann interrupted.

“Yeah, Al, he’s the enemy,” again he went to speak, but was interrupted by Karl again.

“The opposing seeker! A disgrace,” the playful teasing in their tone became clear and Albus let out a deep breath.

“I thought you guys were going to hate him because of his name,” Albus clarified his reason for his increasing anxiety which had now settled.

“Come on, we’re not our parents,” Yann remarked. “I quite like him, even though the only reason we lost the cup last year was because of him. Is he sticking on the team after everything with his ex?” Albus shrugged.

“He mentioned quitting, but I think I convinced him not to.”

“Albus! That was our chance for a win, what are you playing at?” Yann joked, feigning shock. Albus rolled his eyes, as did Karl.

“Come on, we didn’t deserve last years win, and with James off the team this year and another beater down, we’re basically screwed unless we suddenly get some talent.”

“I think we have a chance. Your position on the teams a given, so will you hold try-outs with me?” Yann asked and Albus nodded. He turned back to his book, immersing himself for the remainder of the train journey into the book. However, he couldn’t focus properly. All he saw in the back of his mind was silver eyes and a breath-taking smile.

* * *

 

“Scorpius, you’re late,” Nathan’s bitter tone whipped through the wind, barely reaching his ears. Scorpius rolled his eyes, his hair battling against the oncoming storm and his Quidditch robes wrapping around his body.

“You’re lucky I showed up at all,” he bit back. The thing was, he wasn’t late. He was actually on time, but apparently that meant late in Nathan’s eyes. For a moment, Nathan’s stony face faltered before he quickly recovered. Scorpius didn’t bother giving it enough thought to figure out what it meant.

“Do you want a spot on this team or not?” He threatened. Scorpius sent him a sarcastic smile, gone as quickly as it appeared, and turned to the group of Slytherin’s also trying out for a spot in the team. It was fair game for all, just because you had a spot last year, there’s no guarantee there’ll be a spot this year. Scorpius was never worried, no one was ever as good a seeker as he was and with Albus’ sure spot on the Gryffindor team, they needed him.

“Who here is going for seeker?” He asked the group, mostly full of timid first and second years, those were almost never guaranteed a spot. There were a few third years too, but mostly it consisted of the current team, minus three who they lost when they graduated. The team was in vital need of new members, and just by looking at the candidates, Scorpius knew they didn’t have half the chance they had last year.

A timid first-year raised her hand, as did another third year. Everyone else stayed silent, too intrigued by the argument taking place. Scorpius scoffed and turned back to Nathan.

“I think you need me more than I need you,” he shoved passed him, purposely shoving his shoulder, to stand next to Marley who was struggling to stifle her giggles.

“Why are you even trying out then?” Nathan asked, spinning on his heels to face him. George placed a hand on his shoulder which Nathan shoved off, Scorpius had to try not to laugh at the irony. Trouble in paradise, Nathan?

“Because apparently my Slytherin pride trumps my hatred for my captain,” _and because Albus asked me to,_ he left out. It was stupid to try-out for a different team just because your rival seeker asked you to, yet here Scorpius was.

“Whatever, I need you for keeper whilst we try-out the chasers,” that made no sense.

“I’m a seeker, Nate,” he reminded, to which Nathan pulled a face that said: _and?_ “And I’ll be useless up there. How can you see the real talent of chasers when your keeper is shit?”

“Well, we lost our keeper last year, and a chaser and a beater, and those trying out for chaser need the other two chasers up there with them to see how they work in a group,” that did not justify putting Scorpius up there.

“So, why don’t you go up there? A beater is better than a seeker at keeping.”

“Because I need to be able to evaluate their skills.”

“Which you’d be much better at up in the air where you can directly assess because you’re involved in the game.”

They had been slowly taking steps towards each other with every passing sentence, they were so close now that Scorpius could feel the heat of his breath. He tried not to think about the last time they were this close under very different circumstances.

“Or better yet, try-out the potential keepers first and pick the best and have them go up against the next chasers,” Scorpius suggested. “Point is, I’m not getting up there,” he stood his ground, crossing his arms.

“You’ve always been an arrogant, stubborn prick,” he clicked his tongue, looking Scorpius up and down before turning away to face the group of newcomers.

“Good to know what you thought of me, you sure didn’t have a problem with that before,” he replied, leaning in close and whispering the last part in his ear. Seeing him physically shiver at his words gave Scorpius a small feeling of victory. He backed away, ready to listen to whatever Nathan was about to announce.

Funnily enough, he did exactly as Scorpius suggested and tried the potential keepers out first, picking the best and then trying out the chasers. It meant Scorpius could keep his feet firmly on the ground until the seeker try-outs to which he obviously performed way better than the first- and third-year candidates.

Sure enough, a week later his name was listed under the chosen seeker and he ate his breakfast rather smugly. That was until George came and sat opposite him at the breakfast table. He had wanted to start this year fresh, with as little interaction with his ex-boyfriend and ex-best-friend as possible, two weeks in and they were already making it impossible.

“You know the only reason you made the team was because I was being the voice of reason?” Scorpius flicked a piece of sausage off his fork, so it landed cleanly on his plate. He looked at George with a bored expression. He took a sip of his tea.

“Did you want a medal or something?” He asked, his tone perfectly mirroring his face. George let out an angered sigh, folding his arms on the table.

“All I’m saying is be a little nicer, he’s still your captain,” he was trying to keep his tone neutral, but Scorpius could see the anger he was burying. He rolled his eyes.

“Have you told him to play nice, too?” He asked, accusingly. When George never replied, Scorpius let out an annoyed laugh. “Didn’t think so, just fuck off, Georgie.”

“Don’t call me that,” he bit back. Scorpius laughed again. “I know you’re bitter, but could you at least pretend to play nice? We still have to share a room and we’re on the Quidditch team,” he seemed exasperated, like he was tired of picking sides. Which was ridiculous really, he’d never chosen Scorpius’ side in the first place.

“From now on, we talk Quidditch or we don’t talk at all, _comprende?_ ”

“You can’t just cut me out,” he replied, as though he hadn’t cut Scorpius out just as easily last year. Scorpius gathered his things, throwing his bag over his shoulder and started walking out the Great Hall.

“Watch me!” He shouted back at George, before stalking out completely and heading to the library. He had a free period that morning, so there would be no harm in starting the Charms essay he’d been assigned the previous day.

He sat down at a desk for two in the library, at the back and out the way. He pulled out his music box and headphones and plugged them in, pressing play and let the music overcome his senses. He pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, writing the title of his essay before delving into the books. He danced along to the music in his ears whilst reading, miming the words in the books to comprehend both the music and words at the same time.

He was interrupted by someone pulling one of the plugs out his ear. He jumped a mile before relaxing when his eyes settled on a pair of beautifully green ones, lit up with teasing.

“Anything I’d like?” Albus asked, dropping the earplug and settling in the chair opposite Scorpius. Scorpius was taken by his beauty for a moment, his black hair was as messy as usual, falling slightly into his eyes. His cheeks were flushed red like he’d been running, covering the few freckles he had painted on his cheeks. His eyes were brilliantly bright, they could light up even the darkest of rooms.

“Unless you like Beyond the Dragon, then no,” Scorpius replied, holding up the free earplug and offering it to the other boy. Albus took it and put it in his ear, causing them both to lean over the table so the earphones could stretch to reach him. They were quite close, and Scorpius had to force his eyes away from the other boys lips.

“Never heard of them,” he whispered, nodding his head along with the music. “But I like,” he smiled, taking the earphone out and leaning back. “Did you make seeker?” Scorpius paused the music to give Albus his full attention.

“I did, though apparently George had to convince Nathan to keep me on the team,” Albus chuckled slightly and rolled his eyes.

“As if anyone would have been as good as you.”

“You are,” Scorpius pointed out.

“Yeah, but I’m brilliant,” he joked.

“You are,” Scorpius said again, straight-faced. Albus stopped laughing and met Scorpius’ eyes. He expression was beautifully soft and shocked, like he hadn’t expected Scorpius to agree. His lips were curved into a small smile, which was slowly growing the more he looked at Scorpius. Then he took a deep breath and coughed to break the connection. The red string that attached them snapping in a quick moment and Scorpius felt utterly disappointed.

“I have to go, I have defence against the dark arts, see you around,” he stood from his seat, patting Scorpius’ on the shoulder as he walked off, lingering his hand for as long as possible.

Scorpius took in a deep breath when he disappeared from sight, still feeling his fingers on his shoulders.

He was screwed.

* * *

 “Guys, you have to help me, I’m screwed,” Albus said in a huff, throwing himself down on the common room sofa where Yann, Karl, Rose, Heather and Lily were all sat. Rose was plaiting Lily’s hair, Yann and Karl were involved in what seemed like an intense game of wizards chess.

“Hold on Al,” Yann replied, not looking up from his game. A few moves later and a lot of huffing from Albus and the game was over, with Yann looking particularly pleased with himself whilst Karl looking on the verge of throwing the game across the common room. Albus guessed it wasn’t his first time losing.

Yann turned to face him, crossed legged on the floor. Albus was laid back in the arm chair, his legs flung over the arms as he rubbed his eyes, battling an internal war.

“Albus, why are you screwed?” Lily asked now, causing Albus to look up and find his friends all looking at him questioningly. He sighed and sat up properly, eyeing them all before groaning loudly and burying his head in his hands.

“I think I have a crush on Scorpius Malfoy,” he mumbled into his hands. When he didn’t hear any verbal reactions, he removed his hands. None of his friends faces had changed, no one was shocked or angry or happy, they were all neutral.

“No shit, Al,” Karl said, causing laughter from the others.

“What do I do?” He asked.

“Ask him out?” Heather suggested, shrugging.

“What if he doesn’t like me back?”

“Then get him to like you back,” Yann supplied, unhelpfully.

“How do I do that?”

“Just be yourself,” Rose said, smiling sweetly at him.

“Be myself? Rose, what kind of rubbish advice is that? How long did it take all of you to like me?” He asked.

“Three weeks,” Yann said.

“A month,” Karl supplied.

“Four years,” Heather input.

“Jury’s still out,” Lily said, sending him a wink.

“See, Rose! Be myself, rubbish,” he threw himself against the chair. All his friends started laughing at his dramatic behaviour. “Sure, all of you laugh at my expense!” He huffed again.

“Stop being so dramatic and just ask him out, what's the worst that could happen?” Lily said, getting up to sit on the arm of the chair, stroking a hand through his hair.

“He could hear me!” Albus supplied, causing them all to laugh more.

“It’s clear he likes you as well, and if he says no then you move on,” Yann said, sending a supportive smile.

“Does this mean you’re gay now?” Karl asked and Albus rolled his eyes.

“No, I like girls.”

“We’re literally talking about you asking a boy out,” he reminded.

“Fine, I like girls and Scorpius,” he amended.

“Are you going to get a boyfriend before me?” Lily asked, sounding annoyed but also teasing.

“You’re too young to date,” Albus scolded.

“I’m almost fifteen!”

“Almost is not good enough. You’re not allowed to date till your eighteen and even then, it’s pushing it,” Lily pushed his shoulder forcibly causing Albus to giggle.

“You’re a prick, can’t even imagine why Scorpius would want to date you. I’m sure he’s had enough of pricks,” she teased and Albus rolled his eyes.

“Please don’t put me in the same boat as his douchebag ex.”

“You know I’m joking. You’re way better than him. Does this mean you’re going to do it?” Albus sighed, rubbing his eyes again and nodded.

Wow, he was so totally in over his head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ of Albus and Scorpius sharing earphones in library (honestly can they get anymore romantic without being together?)  
> Kudos and comments welcome :) All the love, till next time!


	8. Shift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're support so far has been incredible! Thank you all!   
> I appreciate every last comment and kudos I get, love you all
> 
> ***TRIGGER WARNING***: implied references to suicide so this chapter might be slightly triggering but hopefully nothing to drastic, just stay safe xoxo

If there was one thing Scorpius was growing tired of, it was people talking about him behind his back. He should have been used to it by now, the whispers had followed him from his very first year. They weren’t _all_ bad, and they weren’t all rumours either. He had a name that instantly put him in the centre of attention, he came out as gay at a pretty young age, he started dating the Slytherin Quidditch captain, who cheated on him over a year later. All of these were perfectly reasonable excuses to be the talk of the school.

But, all of that ended nearly five months ago now. Scorpius had moved on – even if it had taken him a long time – therefore, the rest of the school should have too. But, that was clearly too much to ask. Everything that happened regarding the two boys ended up being the talk of the school. They were voted most popular couple at the beginning of Scorpius’ fifth year – the irony of which is hilarious knowing now that he was already cheating by that point – and therefore their personal business became everyone’s personal business.

Meaning that their little fracas on the field during try-outs was officially the height of gossip. But, like all school gossip, it was propagandized. There were rumours of duels and hexes being thrown, rumours that Scorpius had started the fight just for the excuse to talk to him again, rumours that Nathan was using it as an excuse to badly flirt with Scorpius to make George jealous, and rumours that the two boys were – obviously – still in love. Mostly, they alluded to Scorpius’ pathetic jealousness about how he couldn’t just accept the fact that his ex has moved on.

It was all a complete load of bullshit, if you asked him.

But still, people thrived off bullshit.

He was sat next to Albus in class, a strange change that came with their new-found connection since the beginning of sixth year. Scorpius wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly what it meant when his heart skipped a beat whenever he entered the room, when he would take his breath away whenever he stood too close, the tingling sensation left behind from his touch.

He just couldn’t believe he’d be so stupid to fall for his new straight friend. But, then, didn’t Albus tell him he was sorting some stuff through over the holidays? Something that prompted him to ask Scorpius about his own sexuality? Scorpius wouldn’t let himself dream of the possibilities. He wasn’t even sure if he was ready to put his heart out there like that again. Ever.

For now, he would just make it all up as he goes, pretend that Albus doesn’t have a breath-taking effect on him, and just focus on A History of Magic.

“You know,” Albus said, leaning in close to him. He was whispering, careful not to catch the eye of their Professor. “It’s a shame Binns retired because even though he was boring, at least he didn’t make us study in silence,” Albus continued to whisper in his ear, sending a shiver down his back.

“Who even thought it possible for a ghost to retire?” Scorpius asked back. Albus shrugged.

“He seems mean,” their new Professor was indeed a stick in the mud. He was almost as boring as Binns was, has no hesitation in taking house points, and for some reason, has a serious dislike against any and all Slytherins. Gryffindors, on the other hand, he loves. Albus especially. Then, who doesn’t love Albus?

“At least Binns liked me,” Scorpius whispered.

“Binns adored you, probably because you were the only one who ever paid attention,” Scorpius snorted a little too loudly, causing the Professor to look up from his desk. The two boys went back to their parchment, trying to keep as neutral as possible. He eyed them suspiciously but decided to drop it, only because it was Albus next to him.

“I was an active student,” he bit back and this time Albus had to stifle a snort. Scorpius rolled his eyes and stuck his hand up. Albus eyed him carefully before returning to his parchment and the hand-out given out by their new Professor. Professor Flack took awhile before noticing Scorpius’ hand, which he only did when Albus cleared his throat.

“Yes, Mr. Malfoy?” He asked, his voice drawled and bored. He could have given Professor Binns a run for his money.

“Professor, I just wanted clarification. It says on your handout that the second Goblin rebellion started in 1761 and lasted until 1771, but I’m pretty sure it only lasted eight years not ten, starting in 1762 and finishing in 1770,” he was right. Scorpius knew it, he had written all about the Goblin Rebellion during his third year, which was such a good essay that it was printed in the school’s archives for future reference.

“Are you asking me if I have mistaken the dates, Malfoy?” The Professor stood from his desk, becoming quite intimidating. Albus shifted uncomfortably next to him and Scorpius felt the urge to shift about to. Instead, he held his chin high and feigning confidence he never really had.

“Yes sir,” he uttered, surprising himself when he never stuttered.

“And where did you get your information from?”

“My head, I wrote a paper about it in third year,” he clarified, justifying his accusation. Why he couldn’t just teach them from a textbook like every other teacher, Scorpius didn’t know. By giving out his own hand-outs, he was getting information wrong.

“So, are you saying that a sixteen-year-old who has only been studying a history of magic for six years is better at the subject than someone who’s been teaching it for thirty?” He had made his way over to Scorpius’ desk at an eerily slow manner. He was trying to threaten him, Scorpius swallowed the lump in throat.

“No, sir. I just think we should fact check,” he went to pull his book out his bag when Albus grabbed his arm to stop him, shaking his head slightly.

“You know one of my great-ancestors was-”

“Minster for Magic during the rebellion, I know. He quit after two months following the goblins’ alliance with the werewolves,” Scorpius interrupted. “With all due respect sir, that doesn’t justify teaching incorrect facts.”

“Shut the fuck up, Malfoy,” a Slytherin boy hissed behind him. Scorpius turned to face him, shooting him daggers.

“No, I know I’m right! Getting these dates wrong could mean the difference between an E and an O in exam, I’m just trying to correct a mistake,” he defended himself.

“10 points from Slytherin,” Professor Flack drawled, causing Scorpius to turn back in his chair. The Slytherin’s in the room let out a collective groan, some mumbling his name angrily.

“That’s not fair!” He exclaimed.

“Life’s not fair, Malfoy,” he replied, getting up in his face. “Back to work,” he spoke to the rest of the class. Albus shared a sympathetic glance with him whilst Scorpius sat there dumbfounded. Albus took a deep breath and raised his hand. “Yes, Potter?”

“He’s right,” he said, shocking Scorpius out of his previous shock. “The second goblin rebellion started in 1762 and ended eight years later in 1770, not what’s written here,” it took Scorpius a moment to realise that Albus had Scorpius’ book on the table. He must have taken it from his bag when Scorpius’ attention was elsewhere.

The professor seemed to swallow his pride and walk over to Albus, adjusting his glasses on his face. He looked over the book briefly that Albus had turned to face him. After a short moment of reading, he took his glasses from his face and regarded Albus, taking only a quick glance at Scorpius.

“Good spot, Potter,” he praised. “10 points to Gryffindor,” he walked back to his desk. Albus’ shocked face must have mirrored Scorpius’.

“What?” Scorpius spat.

“Mr. Malfoy, if you are going to continue to disrupt my class, you’ll have to leave,” Scorpius flopped back in his seat, huffing loudly and defeatedly. He ran a hand through his hair and Albus sent him a sympathetic smile. There was no changing this. Scorpius had to accept the outright discrimination. Albus placed a hand on his thigh under the table, giving his leg a quick squeeze before pulling his hand away. Scorpius tried to brush off the hitch in his breathing by coughing.

“No one wants to listen to a Malfoy anyway, probably why his boyfriend dumped his ass,” a girl muttered behind him, trying but failing to keep her voice low. Scorpius took a deep breath.

“Yeah, he’s a prude according to Parkinson, though not sure why he wanted to shag him anyway,” a boy muttered back.

“I certainly wouldn’t.”

“Shut up,” Scorpius exploded, turning around meeting the couples’ eyes. “Just shut the fuck up, okay? Business concerning my ex-boyfriend and my sex life is er – oh yeah! My business and not yours!” He shouted, gaining the attention from everyone around them, including – unfortunately – their professor.

The girl snorted. “For you to call it a sex life, Scorpius, you’d have to have had sex,” she looked down at him over her nose, like he was a chewed-up jelly slug on the floor.

“Mr. Malfoy, get out of my classroom,” the Professor bellowed. Scorpius didn’t even bother arguing, he wanted out. He gathered his things, shoving them quickly into his bag before throwing it over his shoulder.

“Can’t even see what Nathan saw in him anyway,” a different girl said on his way out.

“Neither can I!” Scorpius shouted back, not bothering to turn to see who said it before storming out, slamming the door efficiently behind him.

His blood pounded through his body in time with his heart. Every ounce of him felt on fire from anger. Being talked about was something he was used to, that didn’t mean he had to like it. People knew what he was like: nice enough until someone pushes one too many buttons and causing an explosion.

Behind him, the door to the History of Magic classroom opened and closed, but Scorpius ignored it. It was probably the Professor to talk to him, not realising that Scorpius was halfway to the grand staircase. If he had stayed behind to talk to him, there was no telling what he might say. This was the better option, even though he’d have to explain himself to his head of house later about his very un-Prefect like behaviour.

Scorpius began climbing the stairs, with only one place in mind. He took most of them two at time, hoping they would change too drastically. He was thankful to avoid the moving stairs most the time – he couldn’t even imagine having to climb them _every_ time he had to get back to his common room.

“Scorpius?” Someone said, grabbing his arm and spinning him round. He met a pair of dazzling blue eyes and forced back the urge to roll his eyes. _Of fucking course,_ he thought. _Of course, you show up now._

“What the fuck do you want?” Scorpius spat, thankful that seeing Nathan Parkinson never gave him the same butterflies it used to. Now, he just feels anger. He supposed it was one of the six degrees of separation, but he was one step closer to acceptance.

“Are you okay? You seem angry, you’re never angry,” Scorpius was getting real fucking tired of the games Nathan was playing. Hated him one second and loved him the next, he just couldn’t keep up.

“And what would you know about me?” He snapped, pulling his arm free. “Honestly Nate, I’ve said this before but just fucking stop, okay? Stop. Leave me alone, get out of my life. We’re done, you made sure of that.”

“Please, Scorpius,” he attempted to grab onto his arm. Scorpius stepped back, pulling his wand from his robe.

“Touch me again and I’ll hex your face off, clear?” He threatened, knowing his eyes carried the same icy glare his fathers did. He nodded sheepishly, and Scorpius turned, taking the stairs two at time again.

“Albus,” he heard Nathan say and Scorpius stopped dead in his tracks. He peered over the edge of the staircase, sure enough seeing Albus facing Nathan, the same icy look in his eyes. It was Albus who had followed him out the classroom, but why?

Scorpius leaned over the edge, trying to hear their conversation better. Albus had stormed passed him, ignoring him when Nathan spoke again.

“He’s not worth it, Albus. The kid’s crazy, there’s no getting through to him,” he sounded almost _sad._ Scorpius rolled his eyes. How pathetic. Albus laughed a little, turning on the stairs to face him again. Albus was by no means tall and Nathan was very tall, but the distance in the stairs put them at the same height.

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re just pissed off that you tossed out a diamond and picked up a rock and took way too long to realise it,” his tone was scarily neutral. Scorpius softened at his words, the anger he felt dissipating slightly.

Nathan scoffed. “You talk about him as if he’s a saint. He’s not, he’s a psycho.”

“The only psycho here is you,” he said, leaving the conversation there and turning to climb the stairs.

Scorpius quickly recovered, running up the stairs again. He didn’t want Albus to know he’d been listening in. Scorpius was thankful of his Quidditch training when he finally reached the top of the Astronomy Tower. He threw his bag on the floor, walking quickly to the edge, clutching the barrier so tightly his knuckles turned white.

There were two reasons why Scorpius loved the Astronomy Tower so much. The first was because of his mother. She had loved the stars too fondly to be scared of the night, and she often spoke of her time spent here after curfew after she had been diagnosed. In a way, Scorpius felt her presence, just like he felt her when wandering the restricted section in the library, or in the empty halls of the Manor. Here, he was free to think about her without consequence. Here, he could talk to her, talk to the stars in the sky, and know she was watching him. It was far too early in the day for stars, but there were certain things he could imagine.

The second was because of his father. It was definitely a more morbid reason. Up here he had been ordered to kill Albus Dumbledore and nearly did it, too. Until Severus Snape took over and cast the curse himself, and Dumbledore fell from the top all the way too the bottom. Scorpius often wondered if falling from this height would be painful, or would be just like falling asleep? But, up here, his father was becoming that changed person he was now. Sure, he still did a lot of awful things, but up here on that fateful night he found his humanity. That was something he had never lost. The world could hate Draco Malfoy for a lot of things, but at least he was utterly, irrevocably honest.

“Careful not to stand too close,” the voice of Albus Potter spoke, snapping Scorpius from his thoughts. He hadn’t scared him, Scorpius was waiting for him.

“There’s a protection spell after what happened here,” he replied, giving a demonstration by reaching his hand out before it was stopped by an invisible forcefield. Albus joined him at the barrier, eyeing him like he was jigsaw puzzle with a missing piece.

“That wasn’t fair, what happened back there,” he kept his bottle-green eyes trained on him.

“Welcome to my life,” he sighed, leaning over and looking down. The ground was barely visible from this height.

“Does that happen a lot?”

Scorpius nodded. “My dad always told me it would. I never believed him till I started school and people hated me purely because of my name. That all changed when I made the team and met a certain person, and now they’re all back to hating me again.”

“I don’t hate you,” he spoke so quietly that Scorpius barely caught his words. He looked from the ground to Albus, pulling back from the railing. He gave him a gentle smile to which Albus returned.

For a moment, Scorpius let himself get lost in the beauty of Albus’ eyes. They were so bright, they captured perfectly every essence of his soul. Albus was often broody and sulking, but Scorpius saw pass his ominous act and saw the person within. His soul was a beautiful shade of green, the colour of the shards of grass in the summer when the sun hit them perfectly. Up close, there were shards of golden-brown in his eyes illuminating against the skylight.

Scorpius broke the gaze in favour of sitting on the floor, just like they had done all those months ago when they first came to each other, broken shells of the people they once were. It felt like a lifetime ago now, though it was merely five months ago. Five months since everything that happened that brought he and Albus together.

“Did you figure that thing out?” Scorpius blurted when Albus sat cross-legged next to him. The scene felt all too familiar, except this time neither of them were crying.

“I did, yeah,” he replied. Scorpius had wanted more, maybe a confession, but he decided not to push him.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Do you ever think about dying?” He uttered, now avoiding Albus’ gaze. Albus looked at him, and Scorpius could see the concern shadowing his features.

“Not often, do you?”

“Every day,” he admitted. “Nothing drastic or anything. I just- when I’m up here I can’t help but think about it. So many died within these walls, one of them that fell from this spot. I guess sometimes I wonder what would have happened if the war was different, if I would still be alive or if everything would change? Would I be the person I am today, or would I be more like my father?”

“I think those are questions you can’t answer in a day,” he replied, evoking a forced laugh from Scorpius.

“Didn’t know you were so wise,” he quipped, rolling his eyes. Albus beamed at him.

“I try my hardest. But in all seriousness, I don’t think you’d ever be like your father no matter the outcome of the war.”

“Maybe not,” Scorpius replied, rising from his spot to look back out at the Hogwarts grounds. “do you think I’m crazy?” He asked, now, hoping for an honest answer from the boy still sitting on the floor.

“Not in the slightest,” his voice was serious, and Scorpius knew he weren’t lying to him.

“I do,” he saw Albus look up at him out the corner of his eye, but Scorpius kept his gaze on a flock of birds flying happily in the distance. “There’s a dark cloud around me, one I can’t figure out,” he didn’t know why he was admitting this. Maybe it was just something about Albus that made him blurt all his darkest secrets.

“Explain it to me,” he said, standing up beside him. Albus placed his hands on the rails, one of them dangerously close to Scorpius’ hand.

“It’s hard to explain. It- it’s like this constant empty pit in my stomach, but it’s not always empty. Mostly it’s… painful. Not in the broken bone kind of way- it’s more like an ache.” Albus’ pinky finger had found its way on top of Scorpius’, linking them slightly.

“It makes me sometimes think that I can’t do this anymore,” he admitted, voice now wobbling from the oncoming threat of tears. “I don’t want to feel it anymore. The pain that’s inside me, it’s suffocating,” tears were beginning to roll down his cheeks involuntarily. Albus had now wrapped his entire hand over Scorpius’. “It wraps around my lungs and it squeezes until I can’t breathe, and it aches and it’s just so painful. I don’t want it anymore,” he turned to Albus, eyes red and puffy from the tears, but needing to look in his eyes. He needed the comfort that those beautifully bright orbs gave him.

“I want you to stop it, please,” he begged. “Please help me get rid of it,” he felt stupid, begging like this. He knew Albus could never stop the growing pit of depression in his stomach. No one could ever fix that, not even him. It would be there for the rest of his life. He wasn’t even sure what brought on the pain, he had been fine. Sure, he had been angry and thinking, but the crying seemed to come from nowhere. He must look like a complete idiot.

Albus pulled him into a hug, burying Scorpius’ head in his shoulder. He was on his tiptoes in order to try and give him the advantage. Thankful for the warmth and the comfort, Scorpius wrapped his arms Albus’ waist, pulling him towards him and basking in his smell and warmth. Albus was the first to pull away, but he never went far. Scorpius kept his arms around him as Albus placed his hands on Scorpius’ cheeks, wiping the tears with his thumb.

“I promise I’m going to help you,” he whispered, his eyes moving rapidly over Scorpius’ face.

“How?” He asked.

He was cut off by Albus’ soft lips on his and something in the universe shifted. In that moment, everything felt right. Scorpius kissed him back with as much passion and desire, as though he’d been kissing the wrong person all these years. A red string tied them together, connecting their bodies in ways that two bodies should never be able to connect. It brought them closer, not even an inch between them, as they allowed themselves to get completely and utterly lost in the other.

It was them. Only them. The rest of the world faded away.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED!!! THE SLOW BURN HAS FINALLY COME TO AN END... or has it?  
> Here's your physical proof of the kiss, a drawing by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ Scorpius looks so shocked bless him!  
> Also Scorpius is a giant fucking sassy nerd and I love him.  
> I just wish I could leave them be, but alas, there is so much more to come! See you soon!


	9. Started Out With a Kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a short chapter unfortunately (I apologise) but you've waited along enough so here, have some fluff with a little bit of angst but mostly fluff!!

“Scor?” He could hear Albus’ voice, but his own responses were struggling to catch up. “Scorpius? Earth to Scorpius? You still there?” Scorpius finally opened his eyes, shocked to see how close Albus was still standing to him.

“You just kissed me,” he breathed, trying his best to process the situation as quickly as possible. He had kissed – no, he had _been_ kissed by Albus Potter.

“And you kissed me back,” he stated. Albus’ face was neutral with a hint of concern, Scorpius couldn’t quite figure out what that meant.

“So, you like me?” For someone generally quite smart, Scorpius sure was acting kind of dumb right now. _He just kissed you, you idiot. Of course, he likes you,_ he thought, but he couldn’t make the thought stick. Why would he like him? He was just Scorpius: unextraordinary, boring, irrelevant. What could Albus Potter possibly like about him?

“That’s the general consensus when you lock lips with someone. Is that okay?” With a single question, Albus shrunk into himself. He became the small, insecure boy that he really was, a person Scorpius had never seen before. He was always so confident, always held his head high and never seemed to let people bother him. Maybe the person Scorpius saw is really hiding behind a mask just like he did.

“More than okay,” he confirmed.

“Good,” Albus said, somehow reverting back to the confident boy Scorpius saw. “Because I’m going to do it again,” before Scorpius could properly nod, he was connected to Albus via their lips once again.

This kiss was different to the first. The first was clouded by wretched sobs and sloppy tears, it was soft and gentle, like Scorpius was a porcelain doll he was too scared to break. This kiss was fiercer, more determined. Despite Albus’ smaller height, he somehow got the upper hand over Scorpius, who had stumbled backwards so his back was against the railing. His hands were running rapid through Scorpius’ hair, clutching on as the kiss deepened. Scorpius retaliated by pulling him closer by his waist, till they were so close that not even a piece of parchment could slip between them.

Albus was kissing him in a way he’d never been kissed before, not even by Nathan. When Nathan kissed him this fiercely, there was always a pressure for more. Nathan had never wanted to kiss him just to kiss him, he always wanted to take it step a further. Maybe it was because this was new, but Scorpius never felt that pressure. But there would always be more, wouldn’t there? Albus could never be happy just kissing him and Scorpius wasn’t sure when – or if – he’d ever be ready for more. The very thought terrified him, it petrified him and Albus wouldn’t wait forever. He never expected him too, either.

Then there was the overpowering insecurity of putting his heart back out in the world. Albus had never given him a reason not trust him, but then neither had Nathan until his royal fuck-up.

“Albus,” he breathed, breaking the kiss with the word. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” he admitted, biting down on his bottom lip to saviour the taste of him.

“I understand that,” he whispered back. Scorpius saw the hurt pass through his eyes. Albus stepped away from him, leaving Scorpius feeling cold. He backed up, keeping his gaze before turning away.

“Albus, wait, no,” Scorpius ran after him, grabbing his hand to stop him from leaving. Albus turned to face him, tears threatening to spill in his deep, captivating eyes. Scorpius instantly felt guilty. Albus had put himself out there too. “I like you, okay? I just- I- just, ah,” he stopped to catch his breath and gather his thoughts. Albus looked upon him patiently, and Scorpius was reminded, once again, what an amazing person he is. “I’m scared,” he admitted.

Albus shuffled on his feet, looking down at the floor and their entwined hands before back up to Scorpius. When he never spoke, Scorpius continued.

“I’m scared to put myself back into someone else’s hands. I don’t ever want to be that vulnerable again,” he was close to tears again, but he was determined to hold them back.

“You won’t be vulnerable on your own,” his voice was barely a whisper, any quieter and the words would have been lost to the world. “I’m putting my heart in your hands, too. This is new to me, I thought I’d been in love before, but nothing’s ever felt this intense,” it was only then Scorpius realised that Albus was just as scared as he was.

“I don’t want to give this up,” Scorpius admitted. He didn’t. He wanted this, he really did. But that didn’t make it any less scary.

“Then, I promise you that I will never hurt you,” there was a determination and fierceness to his tone, not unlike the kiss they just shared.

“You can’t promise me that.” Even just having this conversation put Scorpius in a vulnerable position. He knew how this ended: he would give in and trust Albus, and then Scorpius would end up hurt when Albus inevitably decided there was someone better than the broken shell of a person that he was. That was just how the world worked: for who could ever love him?

“I can and I am. I promise you that if you put that,” he pointed to Scorpius’ chest, “in my hands, I will protect it with everything that I have,” Albus cupped his hands in front of him, visibly showing Scorpius exactly how he’ll protect his heart. “If you protect mine,” he added.

Scorpius nodded, placing his hands over Albus’ cupped ones. “I’ll protect yours,” he whispered, leaning forward and placing his forehead on Albus’. Albus responded by rubbing their noses together. They stayed like that for a while, hands entwined, foreheads touching, breathing deeply and processing everything that just happened.

They shared a brief kiss and a longing hug before deciding they should return to classes. A History of Magic was just finishing, so Scorpius walked Albus to Defence Against the Dark Arts. They decided it was best not to tell anyone about their newfound relationship(?) just yet, so Scorpius simply waved him off when they reached his classroom, secretly wishing he could kiss him goodbye. They had decided not to keep it a secret long, they were both out to their families after all, but only until it settled in their own minds.

They were both hesitant to dive deep into a new relationship; Albus because the whole thing was so new to him and Scorpius because his self-esteem was still in recovery from his previous mess. It would be something to navigate together, to build trust and learn to love again. They both new it might be a right messy ride, but if they were in it together then it might become less messy.

Scorpius sat alone when he got to potions, more so because he was worried at how his classmates would treat him now he had lost more house points in one lesson than he had his entire Hogwarts career. Lucky for him, most just side-eyed him with a devious glare and ignored him. He could deal with that. Marley did, however, sit next to him. He’d been kind of neglecting her as a friend recently, but so had she. She had other friends she’d rather sit with at lunch and talk to after class, and Scorpius was just fine with that.

He couldn’t help but notice George’s red, puffy eyes as he entered the classroom, followed by short sniffles whilst he placed himself on the desk in front of Scorpius and pulled his books out. He sent Marley an inquisitive look, but she only shrugged at him. Scorpius figured he’d find out through the grapevine soon enough what was going on.

Potions seemed to be the longest lesson ever. Scorpius’ thoughts kept drifting to Albus and his rugged, unruly hair after he’d finished running his fingers through it; of his soft voice as he promised Scorpius he’d never hurt him; of his gentle fingers placed protectively over his cheeks as he wiped Scorpius’ tears from his face and kissed him hesitantly and softly for the first time.

The bell ringing sent him spiralling out his thoughts, barely registering he was still in a classroom and chewing on his favourite quill. He pulled the feathered end from his lips, grimacing at the sight of it and internally puking. Marley wished him a goodbye before running off and Scorpius packed his bag quickly. The overwhelming hunger was devouring, he was desperate to get to the Great Hall for lunch.

He left the classroom hugging one of his books that he hadn’t been able to fit in his bag, he had tried though and spent a few moments wrestling with himself before giving up. He was too hungry to argue so started a speedy walk to lunch when someone barged passed him, furiously knocking his shoulder as they stormed passed. Scorpius was knocked to his knees from the force, his book flying from his grip. His knees throbbed beneath him from hitting the dungeon floor. Scorpius looked up just in time to see George disappear into the Slytherin Common Room.

He groaned and rolled his eyes, reaching for his discarded book and standing up, brushing the dirt from his trousers. His knees would bruise now, that was beauty in being so pale and bruising like a peach. Matron Abbot often questioned him on his array of bruises; she was even convinced for a short period that Nathan was being abusive because he’d show up from a Quidditch practice with bruises scattered across his skin. He was never like that. Truth was, Scorpius just clumsy and bruised easily.

As he entered the hall, he caught sight of Albus sitting alone at the Gryffindor table and decided to join him. He sat opposite him, gently placing the thick book on the table and discarding his bag underneath it. Albus picked up the book to run his eyes over the front and back, his fork held halfway to his mouth.

“A bit of light reading?” He teased. Admittingly, it was a hefty book. It was a book on healing magic and the magical creatures and plants that held healing properties. Also, admittingly, he was reading it for fun. None of their classes ever really approached healing magic to the extent that he wanted to study it.

“It’s interesting,” he replied, shoving food onto his plate whilst Albus placed the book back down and went back to eating.

“Actually, that reminds me,” he stopped, reaching into his bag and pulling out Scorpius’ copy of _To Kill a Mockingbird._ He handed it over, “I finished it, four hundred years later,” Scorpius took the book back and flicked through it absentmindedly.

“Did you like it?”

“I did,” he mumbled, shovelling food into his mouth. “Though, it’s unfair what happened to that Tom guy, people treated him awfully for a crime he didn’t even commit,” he said once finishing with his food. Scorpius placed his cheek in one of his hands, leaning on the table.

“Life’s unfair like that, I suppose,” he replied, thinking about his father and the way he was treated after the war.

“Suppose so, how was potions?”

“I didn’t really pay attention to be honest,” Scorpius said, shaking his head from the thoughts of his father to look at Albus properly. “George barged my shoulder on the way out, he seemed upset about something,” Albus looked around the room, possibly looking for George or Nathan, and then shrugged, playing with his food with his fork. Scorpius had almost forgotten about the sandwiches on his own plate.

“It’s not your problem anymore,” he smiled at him.

“Can I ask you something?” Scorpius asked and Albus nodded. Scorpius took a quick glance around, making sure no one was listening in. He couldn’t help but notice the strange looks he was getting: a Slytherin sat at the Gryffindor table, but not just any Slytherin – a Malfoy – and not just sat with any Gryffindor, but a Potter. Scorpius fought back the urge to scream at them all to mind their own business and turned to face Albus again, leaning into the table. “Why me?” He asked.

“Why you what?”

“Why do you like me? Because I’ve been trying to figure out why and I just couldn’t really because you’re you and you’re incredible and amazing and funny and pure and I’m just me. There’s nothing special about me, I’m pretty boring, I’m not that funny, I have serious self-esteem issues and-”

“Scor?” Albus cut him off from his ramble. “I think you’re pretty special even if you don’t think you are. Though, that’s not why I like you. I like you because the world is full of shitty people, heck, this room is full of shitty people. So many people bully others and put them down and the blame the world for their shitty actions, but you don’t. Despite what the world’s put you through, despite it breaking you down, you’ve remained kind. You’re so kind, to the depths of your belly, to the tips of your fingers.”

“Wow, say things like that more often and I might make you stick around,” he teased, his chin now in both hands as he looked upon Albus with admiration.

“I wasn’t planning on going anywhere, anyway,” he responded, mirroring Scorpius’ pose. Scorpius face broke out into a grin, scrunching his face up awkwardly in his hands. He spread his fingers over his eyes, hiding his deep blush behind his palms. He looked at Albus through the gaps in his fingers to find him blushing furiously but not bothering to hide it like Scorpius did.

“Don’t hide,” he spoke in a low tone. “You’re too pretty to hide,” across the table, his grabbed Scorpius’ wrists and pulled them away from his face.

“Stoooop,” he whined, dragging out the word.

“Fine, but only because you’re too cute. I have a question,” Albus said.

“Shoot.”

“I’m curious about the boy who was your gay learning curve, I think now that we’re… dating?” He lingered on the words, as if testing the waters, “I deserve to know,” he finished when seeing that Scorpius smiled at him.

“Speaking of dating, Hogsmeade weekend is a couple of weeks away and I don’t know how long you wanted to keep this a secret but I would like to go with you, as a couple… and it’s fine if that’s too soon, but I had to ask,” he said, successfully deflecting the question that had too much of an embarrassing answer.

“Damn, I was going to ask you that. I told Lily I’d ask you out first,” he replied, pulling a sulky pouting face.

“Technically, you still made the first move,” he reminded, reaching over to make a tea.

“Okay, good point, but yes I would love to go with you, out in the open or whatever. I’m happy to be open as soon as I’ve told my cousins about us,” Scorpius nodded, sipping his tea. “But, don’t avoid my question, who was it?” He asked, his voice shadowed by mockery. Scorpius sighed and hid his mouth behind his mug of tea.

“You,” he muttered, quiet enough that he knew Albus would not be able to hear him.

“What was that?” His grin was growing wider as he leaned over the table to be closer to him. Dejectedly, Scorpius put his mug down and looked at Albus, a blush already covering his cheeks.

“You were my gay learning curve,” he admitted, sheepishly. He went to cover his face with his hands again when Albus grabbed his hands to stop him.

“I was?” He asked, shocked and amazed. His eyes lit up with wonder, the previous devious grin replaced by a small, surprised smile.

“Yeah,” he admitted, fondly sighing. “I had the biggest crush on you in third year, it was so embarrassing. I think you were dating a Hufflepuff girl at the time, and I was so jealous. You were my first heartbreak, Albus,” he teased, smiling fondly at the memory.

They shared a look, green eyes locked on grey, lost in the moment. Scorpius found they did this quite often even before they confessed their growing feelings. They wouldn’t speak words, they would get lost in unspoken communication as their eyes said words their mouths never could, and smiles grew wider with every passing moment.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Albus whispered so only Scorpius could hear. Scorpius bit his bottom lip, finding he’d very much like the kiss Albus too.

“How about we go find an empty corridor?” He suggested.

And that’s what they did. They gathered their things and walked from the hall, making passing glances at the other as they scoured their way through the castle. Eventually, Albus grabbed his wrist and pulled him down an empty corridor, where the world was forgotten in sacred kissing, infinite giggling and soft-spoken secrets no one would ever hear.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing, as usual, done by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/  
> Prompts to those who spotted The Cursed Child reference!  
> Kudos and comments welcome :)


	10. The First of Many.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter of fluff plus a teeny bit of angst!  
> *TRIGGER WARNING* Only slightly, just hints at suicidal thoughts, but I want you all to stay safe xoxo  
> I wasn't going to update today but I have a 14 hour shift tomorrow (ugh, kill me) and wouldn't have time so thought I'd treat you as you've all been so fabulous!  
> I love every single comment I get and I'm so thankful for your support!  
> Enjoy fluffy Scorbus and their first date!

The Hogsmeade weekend rolled around faster than anticipated, which meant Scorpius’ first date with Albus was about to be underway. He hadn’t seen much of Albus in the past few weeks, it was the curse of being in separate houses with completely different timetables and both playing for the Quidditch team combined with Scorpius’ prefect duties. They’d see each other in passing mostly or sit with each other in the one lunch break they shared. One time, Albus had joined Scorpius on his prefect round, despite that technically breaking the rules. He hated not seeing him but savoured the little moments they got to share.

But now, they would have the opportunity to spend the entire day with just each other away from the grounds of Hogwarts. And Scorpius was more nervous than he had been for his first day of Hogwarts. He was positively terrified, his mind running a hundred miles per hour with all the possible potential ways this could go horribly wrong:

  1. Albus could realise he didn’t actually like him and dump him before their relationship even properly started.
  2. Scorpius would make a fool of himself somehow, probably by tripping over something because being clumsy was what he did best and Albus would laugh at him, not with him.
  3. Scorpius would accidentally say something that made Albus hate him and Albus dumps him for it.
  4. Scorpius could accidentally spill butterbeer over Albus and he could get really mad at him and dump him.
  5. Albus realises he never liked him and was just using him and realises he can’t do it because Scorpius is too annoying.
  6. They realise they have nothing to talk about and nothing in common and they would inevitably break-up and cause awkward tension for the rest of the year.



And that was just a starting point, there were even more scenarios of bumping into Albus’ family members and them not approving or bumping into Nathan and George and disaster unfolding. Scorpius was a worrier, evidently.

Admittingly, Scorpius noted he wasn’t giving Albus the benefit of the doubt in any of these scenarios and was painting him out to be a pretty bad guy. But he wasn’t. Scorpius knew he wasn’t. Albus was the kindest person he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting, despite his grumpy, sulky act.

He also noted how he was freaking out about this whole thing way too much, but then that was how Scorpius handled most things. He was a mess.

There were clothes all over his bed, his open trunk now discarded on the floor as he flicked through the many outfits he could possibly wear. He didn’t want to go too formal, but also didn’t want too casual. There was the options of a button-up shirt and jeans, but was that too much? Maybe a t-shirt would be just fine, or even a jumper as it was getting colder. Scorpius would have to wear a coat too, which he had five different ones and hadn’t even begun to consider which one of those he’d wear.

He was frantic, moving around his room in a hurry. He had decided to skip breakfast to give him more time to get ready, and his shower had been longer than normal because he couldn’t stop freaking out – and he wanted to smell extra nice. He even used his scented vanilla shampoo rather than his usual. He was in and out the bathroom because he’d keep forgetting to do things. He’d brush his teeth then go back and try and decide on his outfit, then he’d go back to do his hair, and then he’d go back to wash his face, then he’d go back and use deodorant for the fifth time, and then he’d re-do his hair because he didn’t like the way it fell and the cycle was endless.

“For Merlin’s sake, Scorpius, would you settle down?” George said angrily from his bed, lifting his head out his book to watch Scorpius fretting, once again, over his outfit. The other boys had left for breakfast, but George was still lingering for some reason. He was shocked to hear his voice.

“Am I bothering you?” He replied, his tone thick with despise.

“Yes, you are. All I can see out the corner of my eye is you moving rapidly. What’s got your wand in a knot?” He asked, as though he actually cared. Scorpius rolled his eyes, huffing out a sigh.

“I’m going on a date, if you must know,” he said, eyes wandering over the three outfits he’s narrowed it down to.

“A date?” He hadn’t been looking at George but could tell from his tone he was taken aback.

“Yeah, a date,” he finally looked at him. “Surprise, surprise, someone wants to date arrogant little Scorpius, right?” He quipped, letting the anger fuel him. George shrunk into the bed, his sandy hair falling messily into his face.

“Who with?” He asked, ignoring Scorpius’ rhetorical question.

“Albus Potter.”

“Potter? Seriously. Wow, Scorpius, fucking the enemy, really?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Scorpius spat, not in the mood to deal with him. He was going on a date, he was happy. George was not about to ruin that. “Don’t you have a date to get ready for, anyway?” He asked, drawing as much bitterness into his tone as he could muster. He watched George shuffle uncomfortably on his bed.

“No,” was all he said.

Anger surged through him and Scorpius abandoned his current mission and stalked over to George’s bed, leaning against the bed frame. Scorpius looked down at the boy curled in on himself and almost felt sorry for him, but then decided he could never. George watched him fall apart because of his actions, he was not about to feel sorry for him now.

“Don’t you dare tell me that you and Nathan are having problems,” he spat.

“What’s it to you?” He spat back.

“Just sort out whatever shit you’re going through, because clearly you guys mean something to each other, as hard as that is for me to admit. The way I see it, is you two were both completely willing to risk everything by cheating on me. You were willing to lose me as a best friend and Nathan to lose a boyfriend, and you were completely willing to put me through that pain should I ever find out. That’s got to count for something, so I swear don’t you dare put me through that pain just to throw it all away. And, if you both have realised that you did all that for a relationship with no meaning, then I hope you suffer for it the way I did.”

Scorpius turned on his heels back to his bed, not caring for George’s reaction. They had never spoken about what happened and getting that off his chest made him feel better. George never responded to him, just got out of bed and left the dorm room.

Scorpius eventually settled on a navy-blue jumper and black jeans, completed with a pair of black boots, his black buttoned coat and his Slytherin scarf. He checked himself over one last time in the mirror, fixing his hair again – and praying it wasn’t too windy – and sprayed on some cologne he’d been given by his father. With a few minutes to spare, he cleaned up his clothes and shoved his trunk back under his bed. Satisfied, he left the dungeons and made his way up to the entrance hall where he’d be meeting Albus, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

Albus was stood waiting for him when Scorpius finally arrived at the entrance hall, clad in an all-black outfit aside from his Gryffindor scarf, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his coat. He looked beautiful, a small dark figure against the background of the bright outdoors.

October was coming to an end, and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. Today was a surprisingly dry day, though the clouds still threatened rain. Scorpius feared they’d get caught up in some storm, and he hated storms.

“Hey, there,” he greeted, beaming as he approached Albus and leaned down to plant a kiss on his cheek. Albus moved his head slightly so it was their lips that touched instead.

“You look beautiful,” Albus whispered against his lips, causing Scorpius to blush furiously and hide his face in his hands. Albus instantly grabbed them and pulled them away, revealing a very red-faced Scorpius. “And you’re adorable, apparently,” he said, lacing his fingers with Scorpius and began pulling him in the direction of Hogsmeade.

“You look stunning, as well,” he finally spoke, gathering himself. Albus beamed, his blush hidden by the furious wind they’d stepped out into.

Scorpius shivered – he and the cold did not bode well. Then again, neither did he and the sun; his skin was far too pale. Scorpius stepped closer to Albus, pulling the hand he was holding into Scorpius’ pocket. Their scarves were dancing wrathfully against the wind, the green and red becoming tangled together due to their close proximity.

Their walk down to Hogsmeade was fairly barren, most students had already set out, or were going to after lunch. They chatted happily, battling their voices against the wind. Scorpius talked the most, because that’s what he did best, but he enjoyed watching Albus’ minute facial reactions as he paid careful attention. He seemed like he was genuinely interested in Scorpius’ rambles, he couldn’t remember the last time someone cared for what he had to say. He even bored his mother and father.

However, they were no stranger to studious looks and carefree glances as they approached the main strip of Hogsmeade. If possible, Scorpius pulled himself closer to Albus under the wary eye of other students. The other boy seemed unaffected by the stares, but they made Scorpius feel particularly uncomfortable. He knew he was going to be stared at, that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“We should tell them to take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Scorpius whispered to Albus who snorted and looked up to him, amusement in his eyes.

“They’re just jealous,” he replied, and Scorpius pulled a face.

“I think you said confused wrong,” he quipped, and he saw Albus roll his eyes.

“Trust me, it’s jealousy,” he stopped to turn and face him, “because most of them would be dying to do this to you,” he smiled before leaning in a connecting his lips to Scorpius’. They were warm against the chill in the air, and Scorpius melted into him, running his hands under Albus’ coat but over his jumper. He heard a few gasps around them, but most were lost to the wind whilst Scorpius was lost to Albus.

Albus beamed at him when he pulled away, satisfied with himself for rendering Scorpius speechless; it was a rare ability.

“Now, I noticed you skipped breakfast this morning, so want to grab brunch?” He asked, as though he hadn’t just outed their relationship to most the school. Scorpius didn’t mind, it wasn’t as if that wasn’t their plan. He just hadn’t expected Albus to be so open about it. He had only just figured out his sexuality, and yet here he was being the ever confident Albus Potter. Scorpius liked it.

“There’s a new shop open next to Fortescue’s, I thought we could try there? Apparently, their pancakes are amazing,” Scorpius rambled, dragging Albus in that direction who happily obliged.

“I don’t really like pancakes, to be honest,” he replied. Scorpius stopped walking abruptly, causing Albus’ arm to be jolted back as he was still attached to him. Scorpius wore an expression of faux shock when Albus turned to face him.

“Albus Severus Potter, I’m sorry but I think we have to end this here,” he tried to sound serious, but there was a hint of amusement in his tone. Albus went to protest when Scorpius’ face broke out into a huge grin. Scorpius saw the visible sigh he released.

“Would you end something so good over something so trivial,” Albus played along.

Scorpius pretended to ponder this, “yes.”

“You dick,” he snorted, pulling on his hand towards the new shop whilst Scorpius giggled uncontrollably. The stares were suddenly forgotten about. They could stare at him forever as long as Albus was at his side.

They reached the newly opened restaurant and Albus led Scorpius inside. The sudden heat caused his face to flush, and he pulled his coat off as soon as they reached a table. It was a small shop, quaint and homely. They chose to sit at a sofa rather than an actual table, Albus sat opposite him with a small coffee table separating them. Scorpius instantly thought he was too far away.

“Come over here,” he mumbled, hoping not to sound too needy. Albus smiled smugly and abandoned his sofa in favour of sitting next to Scorpius. Scorpius cuddled up next to him. “That’s better,” he whispered, closing his eyes into the cuddle.

“Are you thinking about sleeping on me?” Albus asked, incredulous. Scorpius smiled but nodded, knowing Albus couldn’t see his face. “We’re in a café,” he reminded.

“What is it they say? Couples that nap together, stay together?” Scorpius asked, trying to hide his amusement.

“Yeah, those who sleep in a bed.”

“I don’t believe the prophecy specifies,” he quipped, shifting slightly to look up at Albus. Albus kissed him on the forehead and rolled his eyes.

“Why are you so tired anyway?” He asked.

Scorpius shrugged, “I don’t sleep very well, often. And I was way too excited and scared.”

“Scared about what?”

“My brain tends to overthink trivial things like dates, I think I imagined every scenario of this that could go wrong. But, I think it’s going great, do you?” He hesitated over the question, raising his eyebrows waiting for Albus’ response.

“I think it’s going pretty damn great,” he responded, booping Scorpius on the nose, causing him to beam.

They ordered their lunch – or breakfast, in Scorpius’ case. Scorpius had, of course, ordered the pancakes, but Albus stayed in the safe zone with a panini. Their conversation continued to flow even throughout their time eating. Albus made Scorpius laugh until his stomach hurt, and vice versa. They teased each other relentlessly, meaning there was hardly a break for breath in between all the laughing. Scorpius kept putting whipped cream on Albus’ nose and laughing uncontrollably whilst he grumpily wiped it off. Eventually, he retaliated by smashing his nose up against Scorpius’ cheek, spreading whip cream all over the other boys face.

“You know, this is actually nice,” Albus said, taking another bite of his panini after their whipped-cream antics had calmed down, both boys remembering they were in public. He had been sceptical to order it because it had tomatoes on it, and he wasn’t a fan of tomatoes. Scorpius was quickly realising what a fussy eater he was. Scorpius, on the other hand, would pretty much eat anything.

“Mind if I try some?” Scorpius asked and Albus shook his head.

“Be my guest,” he replied, gesturing to the plate that had the half-eaten panini on it. Scorpius smirked, and crashed his lips into Albus’, kissing him gently before pulling away.

“Not bad,” he concluded, beaming up at Albus.

Albus blushed furiously, Scorpius liked having that affect on someone. “Why are you like this?” He asked, rolling his eyes. Scorpius started chuckling at Albus’ unimpressed face. The giggling died down when Albus’ gaze turned to the window, his face dropping into what Scorpius could only assume was anger. When he followed his gaze, he understood why that was Albus’ go to expression.

Nathan and George were just outside in what looked like a screaming competition, both their eyes red raw and cheeks puffy. It looked like George had the slight upper-hand, his posture more threatening than Nathan’s closed off stance, but in terms of shouting he was giving as good as he got.

“Trouble in paradise?” Albus snorted. Scorpius shrugged, tearing his eyes away and playing aimlessly with the remains of his pancakes.

“I think they’re having problems,” Scorpius mumbled in response.

“Why do you sound so upset?” Scorpius had expected Albus to go quite passive-aggressive, however he sounded more concerned than anything. Scorpius was reminded once again of the brilliance that was Albus Potter. He looked up at him and smiled, taking in every one of his features before responding.

“I’m not upset, exactly. It’s just- ah,” he paused, unsure of how to describe how he felt without Albus thinking he was a complete dolt. “It’s stupid,” he decided to brush it off, shrugging his shoulders defeatedly.

“Hey, it’s not stupid. Nothing you do is ever stupid,” Albus assured, placing a hand on Scorpius knee and using the other to guide his chin back to look at him.

“I just think that they risked so much to be together and now they’re having problems, on one hand it seems like the perfect karma, and on the other it feels like they did it all for nothing. Like, I’m happy now, where I am and with you, but I just- they put me through a lot and I don’t want it to be for nothing. It sounds like I care, and I guess in a way I do, is that stupid? Am I stupid for caring?”

“No,” Albus sounded so firm and sure of himself that Scorpius knew he wasn’t lying to him. “You’re not stupid for caring, you cared about them for a long time, that’s just not going to go away. You’ve moved on from them, but I think you need to cut them from your heart completely.”

“I’m trying, but they keep talking to me, it’s like their trying to fuck me with. I think they’re done with me, like Nate makes a horrible comment, but the next week is claiming he still loves me and then has a go when I tell him I don’t love him back,” Scorpius was really struggling to understand the behaviours of his ex, they made no sense. And he feared they would only continue to get more confusing.

“As long as you don’t let it get to you, it’s fine,” Albus assured, rubbing his hand up and down Scorpius thigh. He used his free hand to finish off his panini, Scorpius had completely forgotten about the food.

“I’m trying. I’m happy, Albus, for the first time in months. I’m scared he’s going to ruin it.” Both boys flicked their eyes to outside, noticing now that Nathan and George were both sitting on a bench. Nathan had his arm around George, who looked like he was crying. From what he could guess, Nathan had apologised, which was a shock to Scorpius. He never apologised for anything. They never argued much when they were together, but when they did it was always Scorpius who would apologise and go running back. Guess that made him the fool.

“He’ll only ruin it if you let him,” his voice was so soft that Scorpius wanted to drown in it.

“I’m really glad I met you,” Scorpius mumbled, so quiet that he was scared Albus wouldn’t hear him, though he wanted him to know this. “I mean, I’m glad you were there at the Astronomy Tower that night. I honestly don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t been here,” he admitted, turning to face Albus’ eyes.

“What do you mean?” He asked, voice inquisitive and face contorted into an extremely adorable perplexed expression.

“I think I may have given up,” he confessed.

“On what?”

“Something much bigger than myself,” he said, because honestly, he didn’t know what. Himself, maybe. The world. School. Faith. Love. It could have been any number of possibilities. He was sitting here now on a date with a new person because that person had saved him from something he didn’t even know he needed saving from. Maybe that had been why he had been so quick to trust Albus, so willing to place his heart in his hands. Albus was his saviour and for that, he could never truly repay him. So, he’d give him everything he had.

Albus nodded at him, seemingly understanding. Maybe he did understand. They didn’t know much about each other, after all. They were riding the rocky waves of love together, learning about each other in the simplest of ways, and most importantly, picking the other up whenever they tumbled into the water.

“So, I was thinking,” Scorpius said after a brief comfortable silence, “that we could head to Honeydukes and get some sweets, pop into the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer and then head back to the castle, hide in my dorm eating sweets and playing wizards chess – or any other game – and just chill out, enjoy each other’s company?” He was hoping this date was going well enough for Albus to want to spend more time with him when they got back to the castle, and judging by Albus’ beam and enthusiastic nod, he was right.

So, that’s what they did. Albus paid for their brunch, despite Scorpius’ protests. They left hand-in-hand, passing Nathan and George on the way out. They ignored them, but Scorpius knew Nathan’s eyes were on them and he tried not to feel self-conscious. The two boys entered Honeydukes and scoured the aisles for anything they could get their hands on – fizzing whizzbees, pepper imps (Scorpius’ favourite), Jelly slugs, chocolate frogs (Albus’ favourite) and sugar quills.

Scorpius shared stories of his mum whilst they eyed up all the sweets. Sweets always made him nostalgic of her, they were her favourite things. Albus had said that his mum had a sugar ban on his house, which was the exact opposite to Scorpius’ mum. There wouldn’t be a cupboard in the house that didn’t have some kind of sweet treat ready to go. When his mum got sick, she used to give him a list of everything she wanted, and he would travel into Diagon Alley to collect it for her. He guessed he got his own sweet tooth from her, but he couldn’t help it when she encouraged him. She claimed it made her feel better, and no one was about to take that away from her.

Scorpius told Albus of his first day of Hogwarts, where his mum filled his carry-on bag up with so many sweets that it was nearly too heavy to hold. She told him that she had given him so many because – and it’s very important to note that she always sung this to him, even before this train journey – _sweets, they always help you make friends._ It was the Malfoy national anthem (if the Malfoy family consisted of only him and his mother, of course). Albus chuckled when Scorpius sang it, his eyes alight with joy. It made his heart swell, knowing his mothers’ song brought joy to Albus – a person who was becoming all the more important to him every second. He only wished his mum would have been able to meet him.

Upon purchasing what seemed like half of Honeydukes according to Albus (it was no where near that), and Scorpius insisting on paying because it was only fair, they were back onto the streets of Hogsmeade. Their coats and scarves wrapped around them, huddled in close. This time Scorpius’ hand was in Albus’ pocket. The wind had dropped as the day faded into afternoon, but the bitter chill remained. They headed straight for the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, even though they had both declared a dislike for the drink previously.

They didn’t, however, expect to see Harry and Ginny Potter sat at the bar.

Albus dropped Scorpius’ hand as soon as his parents noticed who had entered the busy pub full of Hogwarts students.

“Why are your parents here?” Scorpius asked, keeping his voice low but not low enough so he had to lean into Albus.

“I have no idea,” he replied, dumbfounded.

“Do they know?” Albus only managed a quick shake of the head before his parents approached him and pulled him in for a hug. Considering how Albus had left for Hogwarts, blurting to his father about his newly discovered sexuality before grabbing Lily and running, his father seemed surprisingly happy to see him.

“What are you doing here?” Albus asked as soon as the formalities had been done. Scorpius tried not to laugh at his impatience. They were both thinking the same thing though, there was no way their date could continue here if Albus’ parents decided to stay.

“Well, we both had the day off and we heard it was a Hogsmeade weekend, so we thought we’d come down and see if we could catch you and Lily. We saw her earlier, but it’s also nice to catch up with the locals. We also saw Neville earlier, he says you’re doing really well in herbology,” Ginny responded, stroking Albus’ hair as she did. Scorpius couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of the motherly gesture, wishing himself that his mother would somehow pop up and surprise him. He shook the thought from his head.

“That’s great, mum,” Albus replied, awkwardly. Scorpius coughed slightly, scuffing his shoe against the other and holding the Honeydukes bag with both hands, fiddling aimlessly with the handle. He had never met Albus’ parents before, and to be completely honest found them quite intimidating.

“Mum, dad, this is Scorpius,” Scorpius stopped chewing on his bottom lip at the sound of his name being said by Albus. He shot his head up and beamed his best I’m-trying-to-impress-you smile.

“Hi, it’s lovely to meet you,” he said, excitedly, shaking both of their hands.

“Scorpius…?” Harry drifted off.

“Malfoy, sir,” Scorpius confirmed, though he knew full well Harry Potter knew exactly who he was.

“Ah, and how is Draco?” He was only asking to be polite, Scorpius could hear the indifference in his tone.

“Very well, thank you,” Scorpius kept up the smile, secretly wishing he could grab Albus’ hand for some comfort. His parents were truly intimidating when looking down on him like that. He knew their families had a long history of pain and torture, it was one of the reasons why he was so shocked that Albus had spoken to him at all. It was a reason why Scorpius was yet to owl his own dad about news of his new relationship for fear of rejection. He was fine with the gay thing, he would hate the Potter thing.

“Great, so Scorpius and I are going to go,” Albus said, about to turn around.

“What, no, don’t let our presence stop you,” Ginny replied, politely, stopping Albus in his tracks. “What are you boys up to?” Albus and Scorpius shared a brief glance.

“Homework,” Scorpius said after Albus was quiet for far too long. “We got partnered together in History of Magic for an assignment on the Goblin wars, we thought a change of scenery might help getting the old clogs moving in our brains,” Scorpius joked, forcing a laughter. The two adults chuckled along with him, forcibly as well, he noted.

“Yeah, actually Scor…pius, I think I forgot one of my books, so we should just head back to the castle and work on it there,” the lie was obvious. Neither of them was carrying a bag, and anyone with a pair of eyes could see they were obviously on some kind of date. They were dressed nicer than most students who came to Hogsmeade with their friends or family, had been holding hands when they entered, were holding a bag of sweets and kept glancing at each other as though waiting for their cover to be blown.

“Sure, no problem,” Scorpius replied, going with the lie. He was not about to push Albus into anything, especially with the knowledge that he hadn’t told his own dad yet. It was all still very new.

“Okay, honey, well have a good one, don’t study too hard. We’ll see you at Christmas,” Ginny said, sweetly, pulling Albus in for another hug.

“Bye mum, by dad,” Albus rushed, hugging his dad also and running out of the Three Broomsticks.

“Again, it was nice to meet you,” Scorpius said by way of farewell, awkwardly waving a hand before rushing off after Albus. Albus was waiting outside for him, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he kicked a loose pebble with his foot.

“Sorry about that,” he mumbled as Scorpius approached.

“It’s fine, we can go back to the castle. Neither of us like butterbeer anyway,” he chuckled and Albus looked up to him and smiled.

They began the walk back slowly, getting a good distance away from the pub before joining by their hands again, moving their bodies so close not even the wind could pass through. All in all, Scorpius had had a pretty damn good time on this date, and he was thankful that it wasn’t yet coming to an end. It would continue in the warmth of his dorm over games of wizards chess, both indulging themselves on sweets until they were sick to their stomachs.

Albus was currently knee deep in the story of how he told his parents he was bisexual. Telling his mum was a fairly normal experience, it was quite similar to how Scorpius came out to his mum actually. They had been confused on their feelings, broke down crying about it and their mothers’ told them it was okay. Telling their fathers’ was slightly different.

Scorpius had been plucking up the courage for days. In those days, he did _everything_ for his father. He would cook dinner when he had a long day at work and help cook dinner if he was there to prepare it with him. He’d help brew his mothers’ pain potions and look after her if he was too tired (he’d do this anyway, but he really sugar-coated it for a few days). He’d make him breakfast and hand him a newspaper every morning. He even made him an afternoon tea one time when he was working from home. It was that day that his father called him out on his strange behaviour and asked him what was going on. Expecting the worst, Draco Malfoy burst out laughing when Scorpius told him he was gay. He hadn’t expected Scorpius to be freaking out over something so trivial. He immediately wrapped him in a hug and told him he loved him no matter what. It was one of the best feelings in the world.

Albus, however, hadn’t taken as much care in his coming out and instead taken to blurting it out before running to the train.

“Albus Severus Potter, you came out to your dad how?” Scorpius laughed, loud and unattainable laughs shot through him. He had to stopped walking to lean up against a nearby tree and hold himself up. Albus was not laughing with him, but his sour, grumpy face only made Scorpius laugh harder.

“That’s twice you’ve full-named me now,” he grumbled, crossing his arms like a child. Scorpius composed himself and walked back over to him, taking his hands out of their crossing and holding them, a beam on his face. “It’s not fair, I don’t even know your middle name,” he protested.

“You don’t want to know it, trust me,” he replied, dropping one of his hands and pulling the other to keep walking. “It’s even worse than my first name,” he tried to appear nonchalant, but even he couldn’t keep the bitterness from his tone. He had never liked his name and he knew his mother was never a big fan either.

“I quite like your name,” Albus responded, squeezing his hand as he swung it between them. “Being named after a constellation is pretty cool, it’s like you’re named after something bigger than yourself. Your name will forever be carved in the universe, you sit up there with the stars. It’s poetic,” he concluded. At first, Scorpius thought he was teasing, but a quick glance at Albus – who was looking at the sky – told him he was being serious.

“It’s a family tradition, nothing to do with poetry,” he quipped and Albus tore his gaze from the sky to look at him.

He looked so honest in that moment, his eyes wide and full of wonderment and joy. It was a refreshing sight, seeing Albus in a different light. He was always honest, but his expression was often clouded by something else. Now, he was giving Scorpius his complete and full attention. Sharing his thoughts on something as little as a name would seem insignificant to most couples, but to Scorpius it felt like a strange pull on their relationship, drawing them closer than before.

Maybe it was just because there was something beautiful about knowing everything about the other person. It was a level of intimacy that every couple desired to reach. Some never will, and Scorpius felt lucky to begin reaching it so soon.

“Hyperion,” he said, “that’s my middle name.” Albus beamed, somehow evoking more joy into his captivating emerald eyes. It was then Scorpius realised he could look into Albus’ eyes forever and never get bored. If he let him, Scorpius would drown in pools of emerald, relenting himself to Albus Potter.

“It suits you,” he said rather quietly. “Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy,” he said, testing the name on his tongue. “What’s the significance?” He clearly knew the Malfoy’s didn’t name their children lightly.

“That depends on which story you prefer. Hyperion is a moon on Saturn, goes with the whole space vibe, then there’s also the Titan Hyperion, son of Gaia and Uranus in Greek Mythology.”

“You know you’re quite extraordinary,” Albus blurted, causing Scorpius to shake his head and blush the deepest shade of scarlet. “I mean it. You literally look like an angel with your white hair and eyes that literally look like your mother put stars in them because they are so blindingly bright and breath-taking and then even your name is out of this world and I’m babbling, aren’t I?”

Scorpius grinned at him, taken aback by his sudden explanation. No one had never said anything like that to him before, not even Nathan. In fact, Nathan hardly ever paid him compliments, and here was Albus, blurting them out as if he couldn’t hold them in. It was like he had to tell him before he imploded. It would take some getting used to, but Scorpius could definitely get used to it.

“You can babble, it does wonders for my self-esteem,” he teased, nudging Albus with his shoulder. “I think you’re extraordinary too,” he confessed. “I’ve never met anyone like you and I’d never want to, you’re truly one of a kind,” he complimented. Albus beamed up at him, leaning into him and placing his head on his shoulder as they walked.

They walked the rest of the way back like that, comfortable in silence and the presence of each other. Scorpius usually hated the quiet, finding it exceptionally awkward. It was why he rambled so much, he had to fill the space with some kind of sound. But right now, the quiet was perfect. It wasn’t awkward or unsettling, it was calming and peaceful. The serenity blew around them with the wind, blanketing over them and showering them in tranquillity.

If he could have stayed like that in the moment forever, he would have.

However, even the sweetest plum has only got so long. Their peace was interrupted by the bustle of the castle, students mulling around them – younger ones who were not yet allowed to Hogsmeade, and older ones either returning early or heading out late. They tried to ignore the people around them, ogling at their entwined hands, and made their way to the dungeons as fast as possible.

Scorpius uttered the password and led Albus in. The common room was quiet, as it usually was on Hogsmeade days. Most first and second years didn’t want to spend their time inside the common room and tried to find entertainment in the courtyard, and all the older years usually abandoned any and all homework for a fun day out. Scorpius rambled all through the common room about this fact – although, Albus most definitely knew this because no doubt the Gryffindor common room was the same.

Thankfully, his dorm was empty. He’d known his dorm mates were in Hogsmeade for the day and that George had decided to go too. If he hadn’t seen him, he would never have brought Albus back.

They settled on Scorpius’ bed, abandoning their coats, scarves and shoes in a messy pile on the floor. They chatted for a while, indulging on the sweets they’d bought and sharing stories meant for their ears and no one else’s. Again, Scorpius felt that pull on their relationship, a string tying them closer together as they grew together. It was a satisfying feeling, knowing it was making them stronger. He wanted to share everything with Albus and he had the smallest feeling that he just might be able to.

After way too much giggling until their sides hurt and nearly throwing up on sweets, Scorpius brought out wizards chess. He was quite the professional at it, because that's what happens when you’re nine and don’t have any other friends. He played against his father and grandmother quite often and had become unbeatable.

Albus, however, seemed just as good. He furrowed his eyebrows in this adorable way when he was concentrating, and his nose scrunched up whilst his nimble fingers ran over his lips. Scorpius blamed Albus for him losing the first game, because surely it was against the rules to play against someone as pretty as him. Albus protested this, claiming Scorpius was just as pretty and he had trouble concentrating, too. This proved true on their second game when Scorpius wiped the floor with him. They were now currently engaged in their third game, the tie-breaker. There were chocolate frogs riding on this game, and Scorpius needed to win.

Scorpius chewed down on his bottom lip notoriously as the tension grew in the air. He felt like he was in one of those muggle films where everyone was watching them as the game drew to an end, knowing the high stakes on the line.

That was when the door burst open, swinging so wide it slammed off the wall, causing Scorpius to jump from the sudden loud noise. Albus instantly reached over and placed his hand on Scorpius’ knee upon seeing his discomfort. In walked Nathan Parkinson, sucking on a lollipop. Upon noticing who was in the room, his shoulders automatically drooped.

“Have you seen George?” He asked, his tone bored. Clearly, he had been expecting him to be here.

“Not since Hogsmeade,” Scorpius replied, removing his eyes from Nathan and back to the game. He tried to keep his tone as bored as Nathan’s seemed. Nathan smirked and leaned against the wall, showing no signs of leaving them alone.

“This is a cute date, Scorpy,” he chirped.

Scorpius shot his eyes from the board to Nathan, shooting daggers his way. “Don’t call me that,” he spat. Nathan laughed, kicking himself off the wall and closer to Scorpius’ bed. He clapped Albus on the shoulder, causing him to flinch slightly.

“Bored yet, Albus?” Nathan asked in the same chirpy tone. “Scorpius can be a little mind-numbing, surprised you haven’t been talked to death yet,” he sent Scorpius a smug smile that made him feel two-feet tall.

“Piss off, Parkinson,” Albus replied, drawing as much venom into his voice as he could. “I quite like Scorpius’ company and you must have as well to some extent, so just piss off to your boyfriend and leave us alone,” he continued. Nathan had the audacity to mock shock, placing his hand over his heart.

“Your words hurt me, Potter,” he drawled, rolling his eyes and spinning on his heels. He was gone before either boy could get another word in.

They acted as though he hadn’t interrupted their game, and Albus beamed at him when he moved his piece and muttered, “check mate.”

“No way!” Scorpius said, not even seeing it coming. “What is wrong with me?” He asked, incredulous. Albus chuckled, moving the board game gently off the bed and onto the bedside table. He crawled across the bed to Scorpius, placing himself in his crossed-legged lap, wrapping his legs around his waist.

“Nothing,” he whispered in his ear, “you’re perfect.” Albus kissed along his jaw before gently meeting his lips. Scorpius smiled beneath him, melting into the kiss. There was gentleness to the kiss, like Albus was broken glass and he was trying not to cut him. If Albus was glass, then Scorpius would let himself bleed if it meant he could always be this close to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sigh* Scorpius is too kind for his own good. And also, can I punch Nathan round the face pls?  
> Picture by: http://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ as usual! Albus and Scor on their walk down to Hogsmeade!  
> Kudos and comments welcome, every last one is a blessing and I love them!  
> Till next time :)


	11. The Secrets Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should be looking at my personal statement and packing to go back to uni, but I'm nothing if not efficient in my procrastination so here! Have another chapter!

As the Autumn faded into Winter, the weather became particularly bitter. Even the inside of the castle seemed to mirror the outdoors, and Albus wrapped his scarf – no, Scorpius’ scarf – around him tighter. The green suited him better than the red of his Gryffindor scarf, and on their last outing to Hogsmeade, Scorpius had let Albus borrow it because he’d ‘forgotten’ his own. Albus never intended on giving it back. He liked it better: the colour was better, the warmth was better, and he could smell Scorpius on it. All in all, it was a bonus.

He had accumulated quite a lot of things from Scorpius in their two-month relationship, including the jumper he borrowed from that party back in fifth year that he never returned. However, Scorpius had stolen just as much from him, too, including his Quidditch jersey. He had to admit Scorpius looked pretty hot in red, even though the sleeves were slightly too short.

He descended the stairs to the dungeons where his next potions class was, Rose and Heather walking next to him. The cold seemed to increase, and Albus found himself wondering how Scorpius dealt with it down here. He must be a professional at heating charms. Just then, the blond-haired boy in question came tumbling into him in a rush, successfully knocking Albus from his feet as he landed on top of him.

“Scor, what are you doing?” He asked.

“Albus!” He exclaimed, pulling himself off him then helping Albus up. “I am so sorry, I’m incredibly late, I overslept and feel like shit, but I have double defence which I just can’t miss. I’m really, really sorry, babe, are you okay?” He asked, already checking Albus over for injuries.

“I’m fine, what do you mean you feel like shit?” Albus asked, helping Scorpius pick up his books that had fallen all over the place.

“It’s nothing, just a little bit of a cold, a little headache, slight nausea, honestly nothing too bad. I downed some Pepperup and I’m ready to go, I really have to go so, I’ll see you at lunch?” He asked, already backing away.

“Yeah, lunch,” Albus confirmed. Scorpius grinned, running back to him and planting a kiss on his cheek before turning and running off. Albus chuckled and shook his head, turning back to the potions classroom where Heather and Rose had already entered. He took his seat next to Heather, who he’d been partnered with at the beginning of the year.

“Is he always like that?” She chuckled as Albus sat down, pulling his equipment out.

“Pretty much, it’s getting him to stop which is the problem,” Albus sighed.

Their relationship had grown considerably in the last two months. In fact, there had never been anyone like Scorpius in his life before. He had always thought there had been, but he was different. He made him feel things he’d never felt before. He found himself missing him whenever he wasn’t around – which was a lot, unfortunately due to their untimely schedules. They spent as much time together as possible, usually in between classes and quite a lot on the weekends if their captains weren’t having them practice. Though, Albus didn’t find it exhausting having to be around him.

When he was with Heather, the whole concept of finding time to meet her had been physically tiring, she was so needy of it and honestly, it bored him. He didn’t feel like that with Scorpius. It wasn’t a chore to go see him because he wanted to.

His favourite thing, though, about the whole relationship was watching Scorpius grow. When they had first met, Scorpius’ self-esteem hit an all time low due to his last relationship. He hid behind fake smiles and constant chatter, not letting himself feel sorry for himself for even a moment in front of anyone. He would keep up the façade and crumble to pieces in the dark of the night, hidden behind bed curtains and crawled under duvets.

With the help of Albus, who was no stranger to giving him compliments and making him feel validated, he grew into a beautiful sunflower. Albus watched in awe as he uprooted his weeds and sowed new seeds, watering them with happiness and joy before he sprouted into a plant bigger and brighter than his own smile. He was happier, and that was all Albus could have asked for. Watching that happen, Albus vowed to never let Scorpius be sad again. He deserved so much more than that.

The heavy closing of the potions classroom door snapped Albus from his thoughts as the potions professor, Professor Kingston, glided through the classroom, her cape flowing perfectly behind her.

“Today, we are doing the wit-sharpening potion, please open your books to page 101 and gather your ingredients from the front. It’s a particularly tricky potion, so we’ll be all brewing it together,” she smiled at them all, before waving her hand in indication for them to hurry up. Albus got up to retrieve their ingredients, whilst Heather readied their cauldron.

When everyone was seated, Professor Kingston began her lecture, guiding the students through cutting up their ingredients and how to perfect the potion. She floated around the classroom checking on how everyone was doing. It was a different way of teaching than usual, usually she let them get to it on their own, but Albus didn’t really mind at all as long as he got to do some kind of Potioneering. It was his favourite subject and easily the one he was best at.

Albus had taken longer than most to come into his powers. At age eleven, his magical ability was there, he just wasn’t very good. But potions never needed foolish wand-waving, it just needed a delicate touch, and that Albus had. It quickly became the only subject he was good at and he found most interesting, and that hadn’t changed even when his magical ability finally caught up to him.

“I still can’t believe he’s dating Malfoy,” Albus ears pricked at the sound of Scorpius’ name, piquing his interest. Behind him were a couple of Hufflepuff girls whispering – not so quietly – to each other.

“Yeah, talk about punching above his weight,” the other girl whispered back. Albus shuffled in his chair, forcing down the anger bubbling in his stomach. Heather shot him a compassionate glance.

“Are you kidding? Malfoy’s a death eater, if anyone’s punching, it’s him,” the other shot back, causing Albus to become angrier.

“And poor Heather, can you imagine being someone’s gay learning curve?”

“I know, I feel sorry for her.” Next to him, Heather shot out her seat and turned to face the two girls.

“First of all, I wasn’t Albus’ ‘gay learning curve’,” she started, putting air quotes around the phrase. “He’s bisexual, okay? It means he likes both boys and girls, if you can comprehend that in your thick skulls. Second, if you’re going to talk behind a person’s back, make sure those said people aren’t sitting in front of you. Third, Albus and Scorpius are perfect for each other, neither is ‘punching’ because they are both extremely good looking and exceptionally kind. Forth, Scorpius is not a death eater. And finally, if you have nothing good to say about someone, just don’t say anything at all, it’s basic etiquette.”

The two Hufflepuff girls sat in shock at Heather’s outburst, their mouths resembling that of a fish. Neither scrambled to apologise, so Heather rolled her eyes and sat back down, sending a smile to Albus. Just behind him, he heard Rose stifle a giggle, proud that her friend had stuck up for herself and her cousin. Albus sat in awe, shocked that she would defend not only himself but also Scorpius, it made him feel eternally grateful that they were still friends.

“Thank you,” he mumbled, finding the sudden urge to cry. He forced the urge back, smiling at her. She returned with a smile of her own.

“No problem, Al, it’s not fair for them to talk about you guys like that,” she replied, sweetly.

“What’s the problem?” Professor Kingston asked, heading over to their table. She had been with a Gryffindor couple who were struggling with a certain aspect of the potion.

“No problem, Professor,” Heather smiled sweetly, and Professor Kingston nodded her head, turning away. No one would never not believe a prefect. They turned back to their potion, the two girls forgotten behind them. Albus knew better than to let gossip get to him.

The rest of the class passed with little qualms, as did herbology which followed. Before they knew it, it was lunch. Albus entered the great hall with Yann and Heather, with whom he shared herbology with, and headed for the Gryffindor table. He snuck a glance at the Slytherin table and frowned, Scorpius wasn’t there yet. He usually beat Albus to lunch because his double defence never carried on for the full two hours.

Albus shook it off, figuring he’d show up eventually. He sat with Yann, Karl, Heather and Rose, leaving a seat for Scorpius when he would join them. The conversation flowed, mainly talk of Quidditch and how they were going to approach their match against Ravenclaw before the holidays started. They’d been practicing a lot, and having lost their first match again Slytherin, they were desperate for a win. Yann, however, was doing a fantastic job at captain and their team was looking stronger than ever despite the loss of James as chaser. They’d only narrowly lost the game against Slytherin, they were 130 points ahead when Scorpius caught the snitch right from under Albus’ nose. The other boy came out of seemingly nowhere with a stupidly large grin that made Albus’s heart fill with bitterness yet do somersaults at the same time.

The Slytherin team was fairly weak this year, and if it wasn’t for Scorpius carrying the points, then they would be rapidly failing. They had only narrowly won their match against Hufflepuff last week, again thanks to Scorpius. Albus couldn’t believe that Nathan actually considered dumping him from the team, they would be losing dramatically if that was the case.

Albus looked around the hall again, noticing still that Scorpius hadn’t entered yet all his classmates from defence had arrived and were now rowdily having a mini food fight. Albus frowned behind his sandwich, wondering what was keeping him. He told him he’d see him at lunch, yet ten minutes in and he still hadn’t arrived.

“You look like a lost puppy, he’ll show up,” Yann teased, nudging his shoulder. Albus didn’t ask how he knew what he was sulking about, he apparently just knew. Yann always had known him better than he knew himself.

“He should be here by now,” Albus whined.

“You act like you haven’t seen him in weeks, Al, you saw him this morning,” Rose said.

Albus rolled his eyes. “For two seconds where he bumped into me!” He exclaimed, causing the table to laugh. “Karl, where’s your brother?” Albus asked and Karl shrugged. Karl’s little brother had been sorted into Slytherin, and Albus wanted to know the password. Scorpius had said he wasn’t very well this morning, which meant he had probably had gone back there after his class to wallow in his sadness. He always said he was mopey when he was ill, which was why he was surprised to see him running about this morning – that was an effect of the Pepperup.

Albus grabbed a takeaway bowl and spooned some soup into it, closing a lid over it and standing up, pulling his bag over his shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Yann asked.

“To find him,” he stated simply, walking off and over to the Slytherin table where Yann’s little brother sat with his friends.

“Hey, Albus,” he said without looking up from his game of wizards chess. Albus didn’t question how he knew it was him without looking.

“Hey, Cam, two questions: have you seen Scorpius?” It was a long shot that a first-year had seen him, but it was worth asking.

“He was in the common room, looking pretty sorry for himself last time I saw him before second period.” Second period meant he hadn’t been in the whole of his defence class.

“Oh right, okay, what’s the password for the Slytherin dungeon?” He asked again. This time, Cam looked up to him, raising an eyebrow.

“Why should I tell you?” He asked, his tone challenging. He was getting ready to manipulate him. Albus rolled his eyes.

“Because my boyfriends’ sick and I’d like to see if he’s okay,” he tried the sympathy vote. He failed.

“What will you give me?” Typical Slytherin.

“My mums chocolate frog card, signed by her,” he said, knowing exactly how to play these sorts of deals. He’d lost count of the amount of times he’d ask his parents to sign cards at this point.

“Deal, it’s _Caverna Reguli_ , I expect my payment by the end of the week,” he held his hand out. Albus shook it reluctantly then nodded his head goodbye and walked out the great hall. He practically ran down to the Slytherin dungeons, careful not to swoosh the soup around too much in his hands.

Upon approaching the long brick wall that hid the passage to the common room, Albus uttered the password given to him. He had been here plenty of times before but had never had to request entry on his own. It was quite daunting. Salazar Slytherin clearly had a flare for the dramatics. Albus entered the common room, suddenly feeling like a fish out of water. It was a good job he had Scorpius’ scarf, maybe it would help him blend in.

That was a stupid thought; he was Albus bloody Potter. Everyone knew him. However, the common room was almost empty as most were at lunch or in classes. A tuft of blond hair was sticking up from behind the sofa in front of the fire, which illuminated it a slight soft orange. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Albus smiled to himself, walking up behind Scorpius and placing his free hand over his eyes.

“Guess who?” Albus spoke quickly as soon as Scorpius jumped from the sudden lack of vision.

“I don’t know, who would dare scare the shit out of me to try and be cute?” He quipped, pulling his hand away. Albus laughed and jumped over the sofa, nearly landing on Scorpius’ lap.

“Hey, you,” he spoke in a teasing tone, leaning forward to kiss him when Scorpius pulled back.

“Two things: first, I’m not very well and you don’t want to catch anything. Two, how did you get in?”

“I asked Karl’s little brother for the password in exchange for my mum’s chocolate frog card. How are you feeling?” He asked, reaching up to brush some of Scorpius’ hair out of his face, revealing too-tired eyes and rosy cheeks and nose. Even in sickness he looked utterly adorable.

“Like death has a grip on my ankle ready to pull me down to the darkest depths of hell but I’m holding on to the last threads of my life,” he spoke, dropping his head into Albus’ shoulder.

“Lovely imagery, those muggle studies classes are really engaging, huh?” Albus teased, stroking a hand through his hair. Scorpius snorted against him. “You hungry? I brought you some soup,” he spoke softly against his soft hair. Scorpius pulled away to look at him.

“You know, you are the best boyfriend ever,” his lips formed a tired smile, his eyes slightly duller than usual.

“I know,” Albus said, being unable to resist and pecking a kiss on his nose. Albus leaned over to grab the soup off the table where he’d placed it and offered it to Scorpius. They sat in silence as he slowly ate in small spoonful’s, the warmth of the soup fuelling his shivering bones. He put the soup aside half-eaten, clearly feeling he’d had enough.

“Thank you,” he said, sincerely, stroking a thumb over Albus’ cheek. “Don’t you have classes?”

“Not if you need me,” Scorpius smiled sappily and nodded his head. Albus didn’t mind missing class if it meant he could spend time with Scorpius.

Albus adjusted himself so Scorpius could slip between his legs and cuddle on his chest. He adjusted his blanket, so it was over himself and Albus’ legs and curled up into him. Albus kissed the crown of his head and reached for Scorpius’ book. In the quiet of the common room, Albus read out loud Scorpius’ book, only his voice filling the empty room and eventually Scorpius’ soft sleeping sounds against his chest. Albus read until he fell asleep himself, cuddled up with Scorpius and feeling completely and utterly at home.

 

* * *

 

 

Scorpius was still sick two weeks later when the time came for them to go home for Christmas. It was his own fault. Albus had been telling him repeatedly to take a couple of days to recover, but he insisted he was fine and continued going to classes and Quidditch practices. He had been so exhausted during his last training session that he nearly fell from his broom and Nathan ordered him to get some rest. That was when he showed up outside the Gryffindor common room, soaked from the rain and shivering. Albus pulled him in, made him shower and then cuddled him till he fell asleep.

Albus, by some miracle, had not fallen ill himself. Even though Scorpius was, as he said, incredibly needy when sick and all over Albus, he had managed to avoid catching the sickness. Instead, he tried his best to nurse him back to health by brewing him Pepperup potions and force-feeding him soup even when he claimed he wasn’t hungry.

Scorpius had to complete his prefect duties before joining Albus and his friends on the train, but when he did, he fell into Albus’ lap and curled up into the smallest balls ever, sulking over his throbbing head. Albus wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close, stroking his hair gently.

“Hey, Yann, how are you? Good, thanks, Scorpius, and you?” Yann joked, rolling his eyes, patting the other boy on the shoulder. Scorpius chortled into Albus’ chest.

“Leave the poor sick kid alone,” Heather said, shoving Yann’s shoulder hard. Heather and Scorpius had been partnered up on their prefect duties so had arrived at the compartment at the same time. His friends had adjusted to Scorpius’ company, and now were often shocked if they saw one without the other, apart from in their separate common rooms. But even that was becoming a rarity now.

“You feeling any better, Scorpius?” Yann asked, rubbing his shoulder. Scorpius finally pulled his head from Albus’ chest to look at the other occupants of the carriage.

“Not really,” he sniffled, then turned to Albus. “Is that my jumper?”

“Maybe,” he replied, trying to suppress his mischievous smirk. Scorpius rolled his eyes and buried his head back into his chest.

“Ugh, I can’t believe I’m meeting your parents feeling and looking like this!” He half-shouted into his chest, his voice strained by his sore throat. He and Scorpius had decided to tell their parents they were dating when they get off the train, preferably separately, but then if they’re together it’s just one band aid they had to rip off and not two.

“You look as pretty as ever, and you’ve met them before,” Albus attempted to reassure. Scorpius pulled his head away again just to shoot Albus an incredulous look.

“Either you’re going blind or you’re just trying to make me feel better because right now I look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards by my hair.” Beside him, Rose and Heather chuckled. Scorpius loved being dramatic, it was a special skill of his.

“Well, that bush was a very lucky one,” Albus joked, a wide smile on his face. Scorpius shot him daggers before getting off his lap to rest his head in it.

“Read to me?”

“Sure, honey.”

Albus spent the journey reading to a half-asleep Scorpius, whilst his friends engaged in a riveting conversation about the upcoming Quidditch World Cup. Albus liked playing, but he usually hated watching. He didn’t exactly support anyone, and the only world cup he had attended was one when he was about eight and they had to go for his mothers’ work. It had been a fine day out, but even at eight he found it boring.

When the station rolled into view, Albus shook Scorpius awake (even though he insisted he was not asleep). They collected themselves, saying goodbye to their friends who exited the carriage before them. Rose went ahead, too, if only to give them some time alone before facing their parents.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Scorpius asked, his voice scratchy. Albus looked into his tired eyes and nodded.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything, ever,” he said and Scorpius beamed, a smile lighting up his pale features. His illness had caused him to go paler than usual, there were black bags under his eyes and his nose and cheeks had a constant pink glow. He still looked like an angel to Albus.

“Great, let’s do this then,” he said holding up his hand. Albus laced his fingers through Scorpius’ and nodded, before grabbing his bag and leading him out the carriage. Albus suspected that Scorpius’ heart was beating just as fast as his was.

They joined the rest of the students and parents on the platform, the chill in the air sending shivers through his spine. Scorpius automatically stepped closer to him, using his body as a blanket. Albus found his family instantly, a crowd of red-hair standing out amongst the sea of students. Scorpius saw his dad, too and waved him over in the direction of the Potter-Weasleys. His dad pulled a blank expression before nodding and making his way over.

“Hey mum, hey dad,” Albus greeted, detangling himself from Scorpius to hug his parents. Draco had joined them now and had pulled Scorpius into a hug.

“Hey, honey, good year so far?” Ginny asked and Albus nodded. Lily came bounding over, taking the attention away from him, not that Albus minded.

“Draco,” his father greeted his boyfriends dad. Albus cringed as Scorpius winced at the bitter tone.

“Harry,” he responded in a similar tone. “Scorpius, you look like you’re on deaths door,” he spoke to his son, placing his hands over his cheeks and inspecting him further.

“I’m fine dad, just a little sick,” he responded, pulling his face from his father.

“Ready to go?” Draco asked.

“Actually, me and Albus had something to tell you guys,” he spoke sheepishly. Draco nodded as if he already knew exactly where this was going, as did Ginny. They shared a knowing look that made Albus want the floor to swallow him whole. Of course, his mother had already figured it out. She probably knew from the moment she saw them in Hogsmeade, it wasn’t like they had tried hard to hide it. His father, as usual, seemed oblivious as ever.

“Go ahead,” Draco said, his tone slightly softer than usual.

“Me and Albus are dating,” he spoke, reaching over and grabbing his hand. Draco nodded, a small smile on his lips and Ginny wasn’t exactly trying to hide her excitement either.

“Dating?” Harry chocked out, causing Lily to giggle. Harry looked at Albus willing him to confirm or deny, as though Scorpius would lie about something like that.

“Yes, dating, as in boyfriends,” he confirmed, squeezing Scorpius’ hand.

“And we’re happy for them, right, Harry?” Ginny said through gritted teeth, telling Harry rather than asking.

“Yes, of course, you know, if you’re happy,” Albus beamed and looked to Scorpius, however the blond boy was looking up at his own father. Scorpius may have been tall, but Draco was somehow still taller. Albus couldn’t see his face properly, but he could just about make out his pleading eyes, and small puffs of smoke coming from his mouth as he tried to control his breathing. Draco smiled and patted him on the shoulder before pulling him in for a hug. Albus smiled as the visible weight was lifted from his shoulders, and he looked at Albus with relief in his eyes.

“I am happy,” Albus replied, not taking his eyes from Scorpius.

“Okay, Scorpius, we need to get going so say goodbye,” Draco ordered, and Scorpius nodded.

Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus and pulled him into the biggest hug he’d ever received. It was a hug that meant goodbye – if only for a few weeks. It would be the first time they’d be away from each other since they started dating. It had only been two months, but it had been the best two months of Albus’ life.

“I’ll miss you,” Scorpius whispered in his ear, before nuzzling his head into his neck, kissing it gently.

“I’ll miss you, too,” Albus responded, taking a deep breath in and letting the smell of Scorpius fill his senses.

“I’ll write every day,” he promised before pulling away and pecking his cheek. They hadn’t kissed properly since he fell ill and Albus was deeply missing it. However, hopefully Christmas meant he would take the time to recover and then they could make up for all the lack of kissing when they got back to Hogwarts.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” Albus said and Scorpius nodded, backing off and waving his hand. Albus watched as he grabbed his bags and joined his father in a short walk away from the Potters’ before they disappeared with a pop. Albus’ heart instantly felt heavy with distance and it hit him in that moment:

He was falling in love with Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My poor baby Scorpius is sick :'( and Albus is such a sweetheart I can't deal <3 Heather is a gift sent from heaven!  
> Picture of Scorpius in Albus' Quidditch jersey that's just slightly too short for him <3, By: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ as usual.  
> Thank you so much for all your comments and kudos so far! Honestly it means the world and I love hearing your thoughts! Keep them coming! Love you guys xoxo


	12. An article and a letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enough of the fluff, I need some angst.... Okay, still quite a lot of fluff though (I can't help it, truly)

Scorpius wandered through the dark, daunting halls of the Manor, and even though the lack of lighting should have dimmed his mood, he found himself smiling. His mind swirled with thoughts of Albus, of his beautiful wide smile and endearing eyes. The way his arms wrapped around him so tightly it seemed that he’d fall apart if he ever let go. It had only been a day, but he was already sincerely missing him.

His illness hadn’t subsided much, but his father had dosed him up on so many healing potions at breakfast that morning that he didn’t really notice it much. He still wished he had Albus to mope around on, being ill just wasn’t the same without him stroking his hair and feeding him soup.

He wandered through the halls like he did most days when he was home, finding his room much too dull and boring. He had wanted to decorate it, but his father hadn’t got around to helping him. He walked passed his fathers’ study and stopped when he heard a heavy sigh from the other side followed by the unmistakable sound of paper flying through the air, falling helplessly to the floor before it reached its intended destination.

“Dad?” He asked. The door was slightly ajar, so Scorpius pushed on it gently. Behind his desk sat his father, his head in his hands and a copy of the _Prophet_ crumpled on the floor. Scorpius entered without permission – he never usually needed permission – and picked up the paper off the floor. “What’s wrong?” He asked, taking a seat opposite his father and neatened out the paper.

“I wouldn’t read that if I were you,” he spoke, sounding almost defeated. It made Scorpius want to read it even more.

Plastered on the front of the paper was a picture of him and Albus wrapped in their goodbye embrace on the platform, showing Scorpius evidently kissing his neck. Scorpius gulped. Above the picture spelt the caption:

_Potter and Malfoy: what does the world have to say about that?_

_By: Rita Skeeter._

Scorpius was used to having his named dragged through the press, it had been that way since the moment he was born. He was a Malfoy, it was the price to pay for being born into a family of dark wizards and ex-death eaters. The most detrimental and one that caused him the most trepidation was the rumour that circulated that he was Voldemort’s son, but that rumour had been disbanded before he started Hogwarts. It hadn’t stopped the bullying, and even the press still referred to him as it sometimes. It was a name made to stick. Scorpius hated it.

But this was different. He knew the Potters’ were used to their name being dragged through the mud, too. That was the price to pay for heroism. The difference was that the rumours about the Potters’ weren’t entirely untrue, but rather exaggerated – it was true that Ginny Potter hexed Skeeter at 2014 Quidditch World Cup for saying some particularly nasty things about her family, it was true that Harry often neglected raising his children in favour of his job, but that article quickly changed the eldest Potters’ behaviour. There were other things, of course, that weren’t true, like the affair that Ginny seemed to be having with a new person each week, or that James Potter had narrowly missed out on being scouted for the Hollyhead Harpies – he had been offered it, but he was offered a better proposition for Puddlemere United.

However, Scorpius felt incredibly guilty for dragging Albus’ name through mud along with his, knowing already that the article had to have been bad to rile up his father. Draco Malfoy usually did a swell job of hiding his true feelings, burying them behind a stoic expression. Albus – sweet, kind Albus – didn’t deserve to be associated with his name. It made him want to regret getting involved with him in the first place, but he remembered Albus’ shy glances and flushed cheeks and realised he could never regret that. They knew backlash would catch up to them, but he didn’t expect it so soon.

They had only come out to their families yesterday, and it meant Rita Skeeter had to be at the platform to get those pictures. She was a well-known hated woman amongst both the Malfoys and Potters’ – it was probably the only thing the differing families had in common.

A rumbling sound came from the hall, followed by the unmistakable _woosh_ of the floo fireplace.

“Draco?” A voice called – no, bellowed.

Scorpius and Draco shared a sceptical glance before racing their way down the hall to reveal a very dusty Ginny Potter, looking flushed and angry. Albus appeared two seconds later shouting for his mum, looking out of breath as though he’d been running a marathon. Scorpius tried not to stare at his adorably flushed boyfriend, but Albus smiled at him and he nearly melted.

“To what do I owe the pleasure, Potter?” Draco drawled, and Scorpius looked at him with a threatening glance that said: _play nice, father._ If Draco saw him looking, he didn’t acknowledge it.

“Have you seen this?” She huffed, holding up her own version of the _Prophet_. Scorpius wished he had the chance to read it before she had arrived.

“Of course I have, I was kind of hoping you would have been able to do something about it, seeing as you work with the little minx,” his fathers’ tone remained unchained, whilst Ginny looked like she was about to explode.

“I would have if I had known about it!” She shouted back. Scorpius shot Albus a questioning look to which he returned a shrug. Why was she angry at them?

“Why are you angry? It wasn’t your sons name being dragged through the mud,” Draco spat back. Instinctively, Scorpius moved to stand in front of his dad. He was raising his voice and in Scorpius’ experience, that was never a good thing. Upon seeing him – as though she hadn’t up until this point – Ginny’s face softened.

“I am really confused as to what’s going on, but I don’t think shouting about it is going to solve anything,” Scorpius said in his most mellowed tone. He was used to playing the diffuser, he did it whenever his mother and father used to argue – which, it’s important to note, was not often at all.

“You haven’t read it?” It was Albus who spoke up now, looking concerned. Scorpius shook his head, the movement reminding him of the headache residing from his illness.

“You’re right, Scorpius,” his father said, settling a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s go into the sitting room, I’ll make us some tea,” Draco indicated to Scorpius to show them the way and disappeared into the kitchen.

“This way,” Scorpius squeaked, avoiding the eye of Ginny – she was really quite intimidating – and floating passed them to show them the sitting room. Ginny and Albus followed him. Upon entering, Ginny immediately settled herself into the armchair, so Scorpius sat on the two-seater sofa with Albus, leaving the other armchair for his father.

“Albus told me you weren’t well, Scorpius?” Ginny spoke, her voice a lot softer than it had been when she arrived.

“Oh, yeah, well- I’m recovering. Pretty sure dad nearly overdosed me this morning, but I don’t mind, it means I can’t really feel my illness and my sinuses are clearer. Dad knows quite a lot about healing potions and magic, he taught himself a lot when mum got really ill. I guess that’s probably why I like healing so much, too, he used to let me help him when I was younger, and I guess it’s sort of second nature. Spending your childhood in and out of St Mungos can have that effect, I guess,” he was rambling, and he knew it. He only really rambled when he was nervous, and he weren’t entirely sure why he was nervous.

Ginny was observing him with that look that all adults did when Scorpius went off on a tangent – it meant they were confused or maybe to make it look like they were listening when they really weren’t. Albus taking his hand abruptly stopped him. He’d forgotten they could do that – they were dating, after all. His touch filled him with a rush of warmth, the trepidation faltering.

“Healing? Is that what you want to study after school?” She asked. So she had been listening.

“Mum,” Albus warned. Scorpius suspected she was secretly grilling him without his knowledge. He wondered how he didn’t notice, then remembered that he often struggled to pick up on social cues.

“I’m just asking, Albus.”

“Yeah, I want to be a healer,” Scorpius smiled widely, almost manically. “Mum used to say I have a gift, but really I just read too much.” Ginny nodded along thoughtfully. Albus squeezed his hand and shuffled closer before he could lose him to another long ramble.

Draco entered carrying a tray of tea and sugary biscuits (they were the only kind Scorpius let him buy) and set the tray on the coffee table between them.

“Scorpius, I made you a herbal tea, it should help with the sore throat and headache,” he said, dishing the teas out to the respective person.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and turned to Albus. “Dad coddles me more than you do,” he whispered, causing Albus to have to stifle a snigger.

They sat mostly in silence whilst they sipped away at their tea and munched on biscuits. Scorpius never had any himself, annoyingly feeling too sick to stomach the sugar. Albus pouted at him before taking a teasing bite of his own biscuit and winked. Scorpius wanted to shove him, and probably would have if he wasn’t holding a scolding hot tea.

After the tension rose in the silence, Scorpius decided to break it, having enough.

“So, what’s going on?”

“Rita Skeeter seems to have a target on your head,” Albus replied before any of the adults had the chance. Scorpius gave him a befuddled look.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” his father input. “I told you not to read the paper because I don’t think you deserve to read this disgusting fallible profanity she has made up about you and your relationship.”

“How is this any different from when she attacked me and N- my previous relationship?” Scorpius asked, finding himself unable to speak his ex-boyfriends name. “I’m no stranger to what she has to say.”

“This is different because she doesn’t just stop at the fact you’re in a relationship with a boy,” Ginny spoke, softly. “She questions your intentions with Albus.” She appeared to be choosing her words carefully.

“My intentions…?” He asked nervously. Both Ginny and Draco shared a look, both unwilling to share the nature of the article.

Albus scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Skeeter thinks your corrupting me,” he blurted. “She said that no respectable Potter would ever date a Malfoy, and how you must be manipulating me in some way for me to ever even consider dating you. She repeatedly refers to you as Voldemort’s son, though I thought that rumour was kicked to the dust years ago and says how our relationship must be manipulative. She says that I looked reluctant to hug you on the platform, and that was the reason we never kissed goodbye. She said the way you kissed my neck and held onto me was possessive and that I must feel strangled being – and quote – ‘stuck in a relationship with a monster’.”

“Oh,” Scorpius breathed. “Brilliant.”

“Scorpi-” his father started, but Scorpius cut him off, facing Ginny.

“Do you believe it?” Despite how much he wanted to cry, Scorpius kept his voice surprisingly steady. She looked taken aback for a small moment, before recovering and looking him intently in the eyes.

“No.”

“Okay,” his tone turned soft. “Because, I need you to know that I-” he paused. He knew exactly the words he wanted to say. They’d been stuck in his throat for days and he could never find it him to voice them. It’s like every time he tried, the words strangled him and left his stomach a pit full of nerves. “I would never hurt Albus and I’ll always protect him if anyone else ever tries,” he spoke, brushing away the other words he couldn’t find himself to say.

Albus was looking at him carefully, his green orbs boring into the side of Scorpius’ face, alight with wonder. At his words, Ginny softened too, her brown eyes melting into endearment. Scorpius was glad for the drop in her stance, it made him feel less threatened.

“Me too,” Albus spluttered, clearly at his own loss for words. Scorpius decided then to meet his eyes, and nearly melted at the soft, mawkish look in them. In that moment, everything else in the room disappeared. It was just him and Albus and those impossibly deep, endearing eyes. Scorpius wanted nothing more than to kiss the other boy until he forgot his own name. His illness had deprived him of Albus’ gentle kisses, and he was desperately craving it – even though he was still quite sick.

“Well, what are we going to do about it?” Ginny asked, her tone demanding. The sudden rise in intonation shook Scorpius from his thoughts. He coughed awkwardly, suddenly remembering the other people present and felt like they’d been walked in on during an intimate moment. Albus seemed just as embarrassed.

“Do about what?” Draco questioned, his tone unsure and wavy.

“About the article. We can’t very well have Sleezy Skeeter dragging our sons name through the press.”

“Oh, it’s really okay Mrs. Potter,” Scorpius rushed, waving his hands which had – unfortunately – become unclasped from Albus’. “We’re used to it and we’re Malfoys’, we recover. Our name has had plenty of slander and we still stand tall,” he said proudly, nodding his head at his dad who nodded back, a small proud smile on his face.

“I don’t think she should get away with it, accusing a young boy – your son, might I add, Draco! – of such heinous acts-”

“I really don’t mind, the only people I care about don’t believe it, so I’ll be fine,” he interrupted, then shrunk into his seat as he witnessed for the first time the deathly glare of Ginny Potter. He had heard of the infamous scowl, but those stories never did it justice. He regretted ever interrupting her. Albus must have noticed his discomfort and grabbed his hand again.

“Mum, Scor doesn’t want to do anything, let’s just leave it,” he said, his voice even. She instantly softened at her sons’ request and nodded. Scorpius mumbled an apology, still feeling sheepish, but he wasn’t sure if she heard it.

“If you wish.”

“Well,” Draco started, slapping his hands on his thighs, “if that’s all,” he trailed off, clearly hinting for Ginny to excuse herself. She picked up on the hint and stood, putting her tea on the tray.

“Thank you for the tea, we’ll be off now. Come on Albus,” she said, nodding towards Draco and turning to Albus. Albus looked longingly at Scorpius and even he (yes, the boy who rarely picked up on anything) got the hint.

“Dad, can Albus stay for a bit?” He asked, feigning his best innocent tone and blinking doe-eyes at him. Albus looked at his mum, pleading the same question. Ginny and Draco shared an exasperated look and both sighed.

“If it’s okay with Ginny,” his father spoke.

“Fine by me, how long for?”

“He can dine with us, and I’ll bring him back by floo by eight?” He questioned.

“Okay,” Ginny said. She nodded at Albus, who smiled brightly back at her. They all stood and walked to the floo to see Ginny off. She gave Albus a quick hug, who thanked her quietly. She kissed the crown of his head, to which he dramatically protested, and with one quick glance towards Draco and Scorpius, she disappeared through the flames.

“Come on,” Scorpius said, grabbing Albus’ hand and dragging him excitedly up the stairs to his room. He dragged Albus into his room, rapidly closing the door behind them so they were in solitude.

Scorpius coughed to catch his breath from the sudden run up the stairs and Albus quickly patted his back, helpfully. Normally, he was fit as a fiddle – stupid sickness bug! After he recovered, Scorpius smiled widely at him, but Albus was distractedly observing his room.

“It’s kind of dull and dark, I hate it. I’ve been bugging dad to let me decorate it for years,” Scorpius spoke, sheepishly.

“I like it,” he mumbled distantly, stopping at a picture frame on his desk-side table and picking it up to observe it. Scorpius came up behind him and looked upon the frame with a heavy heart. “Is this your mum?”

It was. In the enchanted frame, three-year-old Scorpius ran towards her and jumped in her arms, and she twirled him whilst they laughed uncontrollably. It was taken at one of their only trips to the beach before she got too ill and could no longer do things that a mother should always be able to do with her son.

He doesn’t remember the day out, he was too young. But he desperately wished he’d been able to.

“It is.”

“She was beautiful,” he had a fond tone to his voice, and he looked up at Scorpius, his nose slightly brushing his cheeks. Scorpius hadn't realised how close they were standing, but neither made an effort to move.

“Yeah, she was,” he mumbled back with heavy heart. He stared at the picture frame with a forlorn look, wishing with every ounce of him that his mother was still around.

“You have her smile,” at that, Scorpius snapped his head from the picture to meet Albus’ eyes.

“You think?”

“You look like your father in almost every way, but your smile and personality, that’s all her. She’d be proud of who you are,” it was something he heard people say to him quite often – especially at her funeral but coming from Albus, it felt real and honest. A pit of affection rose in his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Thank you.”

Albus placed the frame back on the bedside table and turned to meet Scorpius in a full hug. He wrapped his arm around him so tightly and they melted into each other. They held the embrace for a long time, neither wanting to break from the others’ grasp. It was like they hadn’t seen each other in weeks, not merely a day.

Scorpius closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of his boyfriend, letting it fill him up with warmth and endearment. He brushed his lips against Albus’ cheek, feeling breathless for no particular reason other than the boy pressed against him.

“Albus?” He whispered into his cheek, pecking another small kiss. Albus hummed in response, his voice muffled against Scorpius’ collarbone. “I really l- like you,” he spluttered, struggling even more to control his breathing. Albus pulled away just enough to look Scorpius in the eyes. “I’m afraid to use a stronger word,” Scorpius admitted, chewing away at his bottom lip.

Albus leaned in, pressing the tiniest of kisses to Scorpius’ lips. Before Scorpius could protest about Albus catching his illness, Albus placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.

“I really like you, too,” he admitted and Scorpius’ heart began beating uncontrollable. “And I really want to kiss you, properly.”

“I don’t want you to catch anything, I’m scared your mum would kill me,” he joked, emitting a chuckle from Albus.

“I don’t mind.”

“You don’t mind your mum killing me?” Scorpius asked, feigning disbelief. “For a snog?”

“I don’t mind me catching something, you tosser,” he teased, lightly pushing against Scorpius’ chest. He leaned back on his heels before bouncing right back, a wide grin on his face.

“You should have said before,” Scorpius spoke, seductively. The worry of Albus catching something disappearing in a second as he itched for their lips to meet for the first time in two weeks. Scorpius brushed his lips over Albus’ tentatively, silently asking for Albus to meet him in the middle. Albus never hesitated.

He crashed his lips into Scorpius’ leaving no room for hesitation. They were already impossibly close, but they both pulled the other towards them. Albus reached his hands into Scorpius’ hair, gripping the strands tightly and deepening the kiss. His tongue brushed over Scorpius’ lips, causing a shocked gasp to emit from him.

Albus tried to step closer to him, but in doing so causing Scorpius to lose his footing. Scorpius fell back onto the bed, bringing Albus with him with a small whelp. Their kiss was broken for a second as they stared at each other, Albus’ weight heavy on his chest. Then, Albus’ lips were back on his and his hands were running rampage up and down Scorpius’ clothed chest. Instinctively, Scorpius wrapped his legs around Albus’ torso, bringing the other boy closer. His own hands now running through his unruly mop of black hair, getting tangled at every strand.

Albus let out a small moan when Scorpius’ finger got caught on a particularly stubborn knot, surprising himself as a blush spread across his cheeks. Scorpius grinned, breaking the kiss only slightly before Albus bit down on his bottom lip and brought him back into the kiss.

Albus broke it moments later, looking at Scorpius with a sheepish look and licked his lips. “Can we move onto the bed properly, it’s quite uncomfortable having half my body off the bed,” he uttered. Scorpius smiled widely, stifling a giggle and nodded. Albus moved off him, allowing Scorpius to crawl backwards on the bed, then sitting up and crossing his legs.

Albus hesitated a moment, before slipping his shoes off and climbing on the bed himself, mirroring Scorpius position. The two of them looked at each other, shuffling nervously before their lips met again. This kiss was slower and more cautious than the other. They were both suddenly hyperaware of their current situation. They had snogged in bed before, but usually it was surrounded by other boys and they tried to keep it to a minimum. Here, they were alone.

More than anything, Scorpius was terrified of letting the situation go too far and he has to hastily stop it because of his sudden feeling of discomfort. That was usually how it went with Nathan – and look how that ended.

Scorpius pulled away quickly, wringing his fingers with each other and looking at his lap. He didn’t want to look at Albus’ face. He didn’t want to see the confusion or maybe even the anger. He didn’t think Albus would be angry, but he couldn’t be sure. He’d experienced both reactions in the past. However, it seemed that Albus knew exactly what he was thinking and placed a hand under his chin and lifted it meet his eyes.

“You know, I’m not expecting anything,” relief flooded through him. “We’ll take things at your pace if that’s what you want.”

“But what about what you want?” He would never have been looking at Albus during this conversation if it weren’t for his hand firmly holding his head in place. But then, if they couldn’t talk about it, then they definitely weren’t mature enough to doing it.

“I want what you want. I don’t want to push you, and to be honest, I have no clue what I’m doing so slow is better for me,” he admitted shyly.

“You’re a virgin?”

“No, but you’re a boy,” he stupidly pointed out. Scorpius didn’t know why, but he started laughing. Of course Albus was just as hesitant as he was, this wasn’t something people approached lightly, especially if it was your first time – or first time with a specific gender. Albus stared at him with a wide grin until Scorpius’ laughs died down, and he released a sigh of relief.

“Slow and steady then?” Scorpius asked and Albus nodded.

Scorpius lay back on the bed, taking the lead and pulling Albus with him. Slow and steady didn’t mean he couldn’t snog his face off. Albus lay over him, their legs entwined and his chest on Scorpius’. He was slightly holding his body weight off him with his hands. Scorpius ran a hand through Albus’ hair before pulling him towards him, their lips meeting once again like old lovers.

They were happily in each other’s arms, their lips met in a dancing kiss when they were interrupted by a pecking at the window. Albus shot up first, disconnecting their lips and confusingly observing the only window in Scorpius’ room.

“There appears to be an owl at your window,” he mused, looking confused.

“It’s probably for my dad and it’s gotten confused,” Scorpius replied. He pecked Albus one more time before rolling him over, swapping their positions – even though Albus was stronger than Scorpius, Scorpius’ height gave him a slight advantage. It worked even better when Albus worked with him. Albus leaned up to kiss Scorpius again, but Scorpius was off him in a flash and walking over to the window. He giggled as he heard Albus sigh dejectedly.

Scorpius opened the window, letting in a harsh gust of wind that sent shivers through him. He recognised the owl immediately, a tawny, skinny little thing that belonged to the Parkinson’s. He had become quite well acquainted with the bird during their relationship.

“Hey, Feathers,” Scorpius greeted, trying not to let his confusion show too much. It was probably a letter addressed to his father. He untied the letter from Feathers’ – named by Nathan, aged six – talon, before giving the bird a treat and letting it fly back out the window. He closed it quickly.

He saw Albus shiver from the chill as he turned on his side, propping his head up on his elbow. Scorpius turned the letter over, revealing his name in cursive writing. He grimaced.

“What?” Albus asked.

“It’s for me,” he crossed the room and lay back on the bed, forcing Albus on his back so he could lie across his stomach on his front. Albus seemed unfazed by the request for their strange sitting position.

“From…?” He inquired when Scorpius went quiet, still turning the letter in his hand. Scorpius ran his fingers over the Parkinson’s wax seal and broke it quickly.

“Nathan, I think. That was his owl. But, why would he send me a letter?”

“Only one way to find out.” Scorpius noted the contempt in Albus’ voice and felt his heart swell with affection at his protectiveness.

“I’ll read it out loud,” Scorpius said, not wanting to keep anything from Albus.

“You don’t have to.”

“No, you’re my boyfriend, I’m not keeping anything from you about what my _ex_ says. I want you to trust me, and that means no secrets,” he said simply.

“I already trust you.”

“Good, now…”

Scorpius opened the letter, unfolding the parchment and cleared his throat. He realised he was suddenly thirsty and reached for a glass of water he always kept by his bed and took a quick sip. He turned his attention back to the letter and began reading out loud.

_Scorpius,_

_I know this letter may seem sudden and random, but I was just writing to check you were okay. I saw that article about you and ~~your boyfriend~~ Albus and it was quite awful. I knew you felt shit after the article published about our relationship and this was somehow worse. I just want to let you know that I was there for you then and I’ll be here for you now if you needed a shoulder to cry on and Albus doesn’t step up. He seems like the type to flee whenever the going gets tough – sorry._

_Anyway, how are you? That seems like a stupid question to ask and maybe it’s out of place. You probably want nothing to do with me and honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. But, please know that I am so incredibly sorry for everything I did to you. It was unfair and malevolent and watching you get hurt because of my actions was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to watch._

_Me and George sincerely regretted it, and it was the cause of many arguments we’ve had over the time since. We just broke up. I know you probably don’t care, but you were always there for me and I feel so lonely right now. I miss you, Scorpius. I miss you more than I’ve missed anyone in my entire life. I messed up badly and I hope one day you’ll learn to forgive me for that._

_Regards, your Nate._

_P.S. I still love you._

“What a load of bull,” Albus blurted, causing Scorpius to giggle. “And ‘your Nate’?” He asked, incredulous.

“It was how we used to sign letters,” Scorpius rolled his eyes, a bored tone to his voice. “We’d start them, ‘dear my Nate’ and end ‘your Scorpius’. It sounds incredibly possessive now I think about it,” he gasped in realisation. “I’m not possessive, am I? That’s possessive, and Rita said I was. You don’t think I am do you?”

“No, not at all!” Albus exclaimed, rubbing a hand up and down his back.

“Sorry, things like that tend to get stuck in my head.”

“Let’s forget Nathan, alright?” Albus said, plucking the letter from his hand and placing it on the bedside table. “Unless you want to write back?”

“No, no, definitely not. How about we watch a movie?” He suggested excitedly. Albus perked up and smiled.

“You have a TV?”

“I don’t live under a rock, Albus.”

“Obviously but, okay!” Scorpius beamed and rose from his position, jumping off the bed excitedly and grabbing Albus’ hand to pull him from the room. He dragged him to the TV room – yes, a completely different room all for a TV (it was his mums idea, there were too many empty rooms for her liking) and plonked them down on the sofa. They spent nearly half an hour just choosing one to watch. They finally settled on one they’d both like, however spent more time with their lips entwined than watching the movie itself.

In Albus’ lap with their body heat combined and their lips touching, Scorpius forgot all about Rita Skeeters article and Nate’s letter. All he cared about was Albus.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> I also just want to do a little disclaimer which may be obvious but just in case: Nathan and Scorpius' relationship (past and present) is NOT healthy. It is very unhealthy, Nathan is very manipulative (even with his relationship with George) and it's just important to note even if it seems obvious. 
> 
> See you soon! Kudos and comments always welcome! Love you guys and thank you so much for the support so far!!


	13. Love Me!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your beautiful support! We're almost at 100 kudos! How incredible is that!!  
> Enjoy Chapter 13!

Scorpius stifled a yawn as he made his way down the carriage at a slow pace, eyeing the inhabitants of each compartment as he passed. It was the first day back after the Christmas holidays, and he had been put on prefect duty for the entire train journey, much to his dismay. He already felt impossibly tired, he hadn’t been sleeping well the past couple of days – the ache of his mothers’ absence and his fathers’ low mood had caused a ripple in Malfoy Manor.

His father had always suffered from dreadful night terrors for as long as Scorpius was alive – he suspected they stemmed from the war. However, Scorpius himself had never had to deal with them. That was his mothers’ job. He had never really seen the implications of how the dreams could render his father hopeless as he clutched at reality to try and stay sane. He had witnessed it once when his fathers’ screams had woken him, but he was ushered out the room quickly.

However, since his mothers’ passing, Draco’s night terrors became increasingly worse and it had now become Scorpius’ job to help him through and brew dreamless sleep potions for him. It was exhausting.

Christmas without his mother – only the second one, ever – seemed to be taking a toll on both the Malfoy men, but Scorpius never really had much time to mourn her absence because he was hellbent on looking after his father. He had spent the last week of his holiday being woken by screams and when he rushed to his father, he was curled up in a ball rocking back and forth and shouting for it all to stop. Scorpius had wrapped his arms around him and told him about the room they were in to ground him – it was the same method Scorpius used for his panic attacks. Once his father had settled down, Scorpius would give him a dreamless sleep potion – which sometimes he had to brew at four in the morning because they had run out – and stayed with him till morning. Because Scorpius was prone to sleepless nights, it was often that he wouldn’t sleep those last few hours, so he did schoolwork instead.

He felt guilty for leaving his father alone, and even offered to stay at home a few more days until classes started, but Draco insisted he go and that he’ll be fine.

The guilt, the lack of sleep and his general mental exhaustion was beginning to take its toll. He tried to fight his prefect round assignment, preferring to sleep in Albus’ arms for the duration of the trip, but the Head Boy – Lyle Colbert – had shot him down as soon as he opened his mouth.

Scorpius rubbed his eyes as he passed between a carriage and into the one that the first-years typically use. First-years – he had decided – were far too excitable for his liking. Sure, it was fun to see your friends and talk about Christmas, but couldn’t they have done all that a little quieter? Even with closed compartments, the chatter of excitable children emitted from them, the droning completing Scorpius’ growing headache.

“Campbell,” he spoke to a wayward first-year – one of Albus’s friends little brother and a pain up Scorpius’ arse. He stopped immediately at his name and spun slowly on his heels, grinning widely at Scorpius. The small boy was already in his school robes and was badly trying to conceal what looked like Weasleys Wizards Wheezes products.

“Malfoy,” he greeted, “good Christmas?”

“Hand them over,” Scorpius tried not to sound too tired and fed-up, unfortunately though, he _was_ too tired and fed-up.

“Hand what over Mr. Prefect?”

“The contraband you have hiding in your robes.” Scorpius held a hand out and Campbell eyed it suspiciously from behind his glasses. Then he looked at Scorpius, grinned, removed one hand carefully from his robes and slapped Scorpius’ hand in a low-five.

Scorpius sighed and fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“Hand it over, or I’ll be taking points,” he threatened, and Campbell’s face immediately dropped his grin.

“Fine,” he looked like a wounded puppy as he handed over the WWW products.

“Get in a compartment,” Scorpius said, and Campbell hung his head low and nodded. Scorpius walked passed him to continue the rounds when he heard Campbell speak up again. Scorpius never slowed his walk.

“Will I get them back?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s against school rules,” he heard Campbell sigh and stomp furiously into a compartment. Scorpius took that as an agreement and carried on walking. He dropped the confiscated contraband into a box in the prefects compartment and explained quickly to the others in there whom he had confiscated it off. They only nodded and sent him on his way.

Sometimes, Scorpius hated being a prefect.

He hadn’t even seen Albus yet, and he was really craving a long, comforting hug from him. Albus’ hugs could always brighten his day and right now, he really needed one. That was his next mission, he decided, as he walked down the carriages at a slightly faster speed, only briefly checking compartments. No one was really up to anything and it was too early to tell everyone to make sure they had their robes on, so mostly he ignored them.

He thought he’d enjoy the lack of drama, but it only made his mood worse. If he was going to be stuck on prefect duty the entire train ride, the least someone could do was cause a bit of trouble. He sighed to himself, checking the watch he’d gotten for Christmas as he passed through into the next carriage. He’d only been on the train an hour, there was still another five to go.

Most ignored him as he wove through the carriage – this one more open rather than consisting of separate compartments. He was thankful for the lack of noise when he entered the next one. He was walking rather slowly again, his mind distracted with various thoughts of his father and Albus-

_Oof._

“Oh shit-”

A hard body came tumbling into his, sending him flying to the floor followed by multiple books and pieces of parchment. Trying to ignore his bruised pride, Scorpius started gathering the discarded items without even looking at who had collided with him.

“Scorpius, I-” he ignored the rest of the sentence when he recognised the voice – the voice now well-trained to send a shiver down his spine. He paused in gathering the papers and looked up, meeting eyes with Nathan who was now standing with his own selection of his items that he’d collected held between his arms and chest.

Scorpius cleared his throat and went back to collecting the books. He rose to his feet once he gathered the remains and held them out for Nathan to take.

“Did you get my letters?” Nathan asked, voice hopeful. He never took his items from Scorpius. Letters – plural – because he had sent three more following the one he received with Albus.

“I did, Nate.”

“And…?” He asked, hopefully.

“And I wish you’d leave me alone. Look, I’m sorry about you and George, but it’s not my business anymore,” Scorpius pushed the books towards Nathan, so he had no choice but to take them from him, lest they fall over the floor again. He shoved passed him to carry on his rounds, when a hand grabbed his arm.

“Scorpius, wait. Please,” he pleaded, Scorpius stopped and turned back around. “I really need you right now,” his eyes had begun to water slightly, and before Scorpius would have fought dragons to make sure he never felt like crying again. But now, he couldn’t care less.

“I needed you, too” he replied, sadly. He feared his heart would never truly mend from the damage Nathan caused. “I moved on just fine, and I’m finally happy again. Why can’t you accept that?” It was a question he didn’t really want answered.

“Moved on?” His voice was slightly harsher from the previous melancholy tone, but still not harsh enough to warrant a flinch. “Do you really think Albus Potter can love you the way I can?”

“Actually, I think Albus Potter can love me better than you can.”

“Gosh, you’re so naïve, Scorpius! He’s a Potter, you’re a Malfoy. Those two things don’t mix. It’s like putting Pepper Imps into Butterbeer, it causes an explosion!” If he wasn’t so tired, Scorpius would have laughed. Instead, he rolled his eyes.

“You claim you still love me, but if you did you wouldn’t be doing this. You’d be happy for me because I’m happy.”

“I want you to be happy... but with me.”

“Well, I can’t be!” Scorpius shouted, finally losing his budding temper. “Sorry, Nate,” he shouldn’t have been apologising, he knew that. But the words escaped before he could stop them. He took one last look at him, of his sapphire eyes clouded by threatening tears, of his lips – ones he used to dream about kissing – pulled into a thin line, and then turned and walked away.

“You still call me Nate!” He shouted after him, as though that was some big victory. Maybe it was. Scorpius was the only person to ever call it him, it was an intimate thing between them. He made a mental note to break that habit as he passed into the next carriage, eyes once again scouring for Albus. The longer he was on prefect duty, the more he craved his boyfriends’ arms.

He loosened his tie slightly as he continued down the carriage, feeling like it was cutting off his ability to breathe. The more he continued walking, the stuffier the train seemed to get. It was only two hours into the journey, but his feet ached. With his illness over Christmas, he hadn’t got out much, which meant his physical fitness had rapidly plummeted. The Quidditch team would not be too happy about that.

He wandered through the fourth years compartment, stopping when he saw the familiar red hair of Lily Potter and knocked on the door. Lily – along with three other girls and two boys, all in various houses – looked up. Upon seeing him, she beamed and nodded. Scorpius opened the door slightly to poke his head in.

“Scorpius!” Lily beamed, her grin wide. He hadn’t spoken much to the youngest Potter, but she was always friendly whenever he did. He would like to have seen her more, but with being in different houses, he barely got to see Albus, let alone his sibling.

From what he knew of Lily, she was a force to be reckoned with. She was fierce and determined, just like her mother had been at her age. Scorpius was yet to see her fierceness in action, though it seemed she was always in detention for hexing someone who called her – or her family – hurtful names or insulted her in any way. Scorpius didn’t know much about her, but he did know he would never want to be on the wrong side of her.

“Hey, Lily, good Christmas?” Lily nodded enthusiastically, throwing her impossibly long hair over her shoulder.

“It was great, I got a new broom, so prepared to be obliterated in the next game, Snake,” she smirked. Scorpius feigned offence.

“You say that as if you’re actually a threat,” he quipped back, his own smug smirk plastered on his face. Lily gasped in mock offence and narrowed her eyes.

“That’s fighting talk, Malfoy.”

“Don’t call this a fight when you know it’s a war, Potter.”

They narrowed their eyes at each other, feigning their faux annoyance for as long as possible. It was Scorpius who broke first under the hard glare of Lily Potter and began laughing. Lily followed shortly, and together they laughed for far too long and way too loud. When Scorpius quietened down, it was because he suddenly became aware of the eyes of Lily’s friends on him.

Lily wiped tears from her eyes. “So, you’re not here to tell us off or anything, are you? It’s the first day back and I can’t lose anymore house points just yet.”

“No, nothing like that,” he broke off, looking at each of her friends looking to see if anything warranted the taking of points. Satisfied, he turned back to Lily. “I was wondering if you’ve seen Albus?” She pursed her lips.

“Not since we got on the train, though he was being kind of sulky. He had an argument with dad and then James got involved and he’s been moody ever since. He was saying how he just wanted to see you though. Have you not seen him?”

Scorpius frowned, “not yet.”

“He’ll show up, he’s definitely on the train so he’ll be around.”

“Right, thanks, Lily,” he smiled at her and she beamed back, waving her hand.

He slipped out the compartment and continued heading up the train.

It was nearly three hours into the journey when he finally found Albus. He was sat with his usual comrades, curled up in the compartment by the window and he was asleep. Albus had – inevitably – caught Scorpius’ cold the day after he spent the day at the Manor. He sent a letter to Scorpius complaining about his mothers’ glare because her kiss-deprived son couldn’t keep his hands of his sick boyfriend. Albus claimed it was completely worth it. He had only just recovered from it, so his exhaustion must have caught up to him. Scorpius frowned again but opened the compartment door anyway.

“Hey,” he whispered to Yann, Karl, Heather and Rose.

“Hey,” Yann said, waving him in. Scorpius didn’t hesitate, he needed a quick break.

“Lyle put you on prefect duty for the entire train journey, didn’t he?” Rose asked, seemingly shocked. Scorpius nodded solemnly, his tiredness catching up to him now he had sat down.

“I don’t think he likes me all that much,” he leaned his head back against the back of the seat and then looked at Albus. He smiled at the sight of him. He had curled himself up impossibly small for someone of his height, and someone had placed his robes over him as a blanket. His mouth was parted slightly, and his eyelids fluttered, and he looked incredibly adorable. “Do you think he’ll hate me if I wake him up?” He didn’t want to wake him up, but at the same time was craving his touch.

Yann clapped a hand on his shoulder. Scorpius jumped. “Have you ever had to wake him before? Not many have lived to tell the tale,” Yann joked. Scorpius thought he was joking, then he turned his head and lifted part of his hair, revealing a small scar. Scorpius gaped.

“What’s that from?”

“I was waking Albus one morning in our third year, and he was being particularly Grumpy Albus that day, and he pushed me away from him so hard that I stumbled and cracked my head open on his desk-side table. I mean, it was entirely my fault, I shouldn’t have got so close. Needless to say he quickly woke up when he heard me cry out that I was bleeding and refused to leave my side in the hospital wing.”

“So, no waking Albus… good to know,” Scorpius felt utterly disappointed.

“Yann, you’re so dramatic,” Albus mumbled next to him and Scorpius’ heart lightened at the sound of his voice. He shot up.

“Albus!”

Albus flicked his eyes open to meet Scorpius, a small smile playing on his lips. Upon locking eyes with him, Albus frowned and sat up.

“Why do you look so tired and sad?” Damn, he’d forgotten Albus could see through his acts. He was happy to see him, but obviously his bad mood was just more prominent.

“Not here,” Scorpius mumbled, and Albus nodded slowly. “Just hold me? I have to go back to rounds but I need you,” he whined. He realised he sounded very needy, but he was a needy person. Albus most definitely had learnt that by now.

“Of course, my little baby,” he cooed, wrapping his arms around Scorpius and pulling him into his chest. Scorpius scoffed at the obvious taunt, but never bothered to correct him. He felt his eyelids grow heavy as he breathed in Albus’ scent, letting it fill up his nostrils and take over his melancholic feeling.

Eventually – a mere five minutes – Scorpius had to give up on his cuddle session with Albus. He groaned way too loudly as he plucked himself from Albus’ chest, eyes still closed, and planted a kiss on what was supposed to be his lips but ended up more being his cheek. Albus tried to convince him to stay – _“No one’s going to die in the half hour you spend here, you should nap, you look exhausted!”_ – but Scorpius had reluctantly listened to the rational side of his brain that told him not to give in.

So, he headed back out.

When the train arrived in Hogsmeade three hours later, it was dramatic relief. He hadn’t managed to locate Albus upon exiting the trains, but he had to help first years make their way up to the castle. By the time he was finally seated in the Great Hall, he was so tired that not even the feast excited him. He was even less enthusiastic when Nathan claimed a seat opposite him and tried to engage in a full-blown conversation.

Next to him, Marley – who was on good terms with him, he was her Quidditch captain after all – engaged in said conversation. Though, it was obvious to Scorpius that Nathan clearly wanted him to join in too. Scorpius never rose to the bait. Instead, he sought out Albus, who was looking over at him already, angrily stabbing a fork into whatever delicious dish he had on his plate. Scorpius shrugged and sent him an apologetic look. He softened only slightly, from what Scorpius could tell from the distance.

He ate as much as he could stomach, but with his current mood and Nathan opposite him, it wasn’t much. Marley had to force him to eat most of it, and Nathan also encouraged him – Scorpius threw his spoon at him. Nathan resigned after that and went to eating his food quietly.

Moments before the feast was about to end and Headmistress McGonagall was about to make the final announcements, Scorpius rose from his seat. He ignored both Marley’s and Nathan inquisitive looks and made his way over to the Gryffindor table. Albus had finally turned back to his friends once he’d realised Nathan was no longer a threat and was chatting amicably with them. Scorpius stopped to observe for a moment, jealous of the friendships Albus had. _I had that once_ , he thought bitterly, his mind dancing over George for a split moment before he recovered. He looked at Albus laughing and thought: _what I have now is better._

Scorpius ran up behind him and wrapped his arm around him, crushing his back against Scorpius' chest.

“Guess who?” He whispered in Albus’ ear, leaning over to plant kisses along his jaw.

“Bathilda Bagshot?”

Scorpius gasped. "No, but how incredible. I would have done anything to meet her, wow,” he mused. Albus laughed and turned awkwardly in his arms to meet Scorpius’ gaze.

“You are a total dork; did you know that?”

“And I take total pride in it,” Scorpius beamed, kissing Albus lightly on the lips.

“Dork,” he muttered fondly against Scorpius’ lips.

“So,” Scorpius began, but then took a nervous glance to Albus’ friends and suddenly shied. He cleared his throat and turned back to Albus. “Did you want to stay over tonight?” He asked timidly, his heart pounding with every word. His mouth suddenly went dry, realising too late of the implications of his statement.

“Not for anything like… that- or whatever. I just- er, see- I missed you and I really wanted to see you more and I s-sleep better when you’re around and I’m freakishly tired so, no pressure if not, I was just asking,” he rambled, stumbling over what seemed like every word as he spoke almost as fast as his heart was beating. In his haste, he hadn’t noticed the grin spread across Albus’ face.

“Scor, it’s fine. I want to. And no expectations, remember?”

“Right, yes… that, I remember. So, I’ll meet you after the announcements in the Entrance Hall and we can grab some stuff from your dorm then go to the dungeons?” He asked, tentatively. He was still unsure if he was stepping over boundaries. Though, why he felt like that was a mystery. They had shared a bed before – mostly when Scorpius was in the height of his illness and had just fallen asleep, by the time he’d woken up it was morning and he had slept the entire night in Albus’ bed.

“It’s a date,” Albus beamed, pecking Scorpius’ lips one more time. Scorpius grinned back before heading back over to the Slytherin table, in a better mood than how he left it.

“Can you not be away from him for more than two seconds?” Marley asked, her tone playful but also quite serious. Scorpius shook his head and grinned at her, she laughed and shook her head in response. The next words coming from Nathan made his smile drop and his mood falter again.

“We used to be like that.”

Scorpius stood from the table abruptly, shooting Nathan daggers before promptly disappearing from the Great Hall. He caught a quick glance of Albus’ questioning gaze before he exited.

He didn’t go very far. He paced up and down the Entrance Hall until everyone was dismissed for bed, waiting for Albus to emerge from the hall. He was one of the first out and he hastily walked over to him, instantly wrapping his arms around him which stopped Scorpius’ pacing. The concern he was emitting for Scorpius was sort of comforting, not that Albus needed to be concerned about him.

“You okay?” Albus asked.

“Yeah,” he lied, “I’ll tell you all about it in the dungeons.” He grabbed Albus’ hand and pulled him towards the staircase up to Gryffindor tower for Albus to collect some things. They lapsed into a casual conversation about their Christmas’ – not that they hadn’t already told each other everything through letters they send every day. Though, Albus had strategically left out the argument with his father, and Scorpius hoped he would feel comfortable enough to open up to him about that soon.

Once they’d collected Albus’ things, they began the long walk down to the dungeons. Scorpius used the secret passageways that only most Slytherins’ knew as it made the descent quicker. After what seemed like forever, they had finally reached the common room, and Scorpius led Albus in. He ignored most people in the common room – it was always more hectic the first day back – and led him straight to the dorm. To his delight, it was empty.

It was still early, but they got ready for bed anyway and only once they were settled beneath Scorpius’ duvet with the curtains drawn around them and a silencing charm cast – so their conversation wouldn’t be heard – did they turn the conversation to more personal matters.

“Lily said you had an argument with your dad?” Scorpius asked, cursing himself for breaking his rule on not asking Albus about it. He felt Albus stiffen beneath him, but he quickly recovered. Scorpius picked up Albus’ hand that wasn’t in his hair and began playing with his fingers softly.

“Yeah…” he mumbled awkwardly, chuckling to hide the true pain he felt.

“Want to talk about it?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just that I don’t want to tell you what it was about.”

“Why not?”

“You really want to know?”

“If it will make you feel better.”

Albus sighed, “it was about you,” he sounded almost guilty. Scorpius stopped playing with his fingers.

“Me?” Albus’ chin rubbing slightly against the crown of his head indicated that he was nodding.

“James started it,” he began his explanation. “He hadn’t been home for Christmas because of some bootcamp Quidditch thing, he arrived home the day after boxing day, furiously waving the copy of the Prophet that had that article about us. Now, bear in mind I hadn’t told James about us yet.” Scorpius nodded. “We were all in the kitchen when he came in, started preaching about how he’ll kill Rita Skeeter for printing lies about me. That, yes, me and you were friends but I’d never ‘stoop as low as a Malfoy’,” he air-quoted. Scorpius winced. “Sorry, James holds strong opinions.”

“I know,” Scorpius replied, as though the words didn’t sting as much as it did.

“Anyway, whilst I was writhing in anger, my mum quickly shut him up by telling him it was true that me and you were dating. James was stunned in silence, but only for a quick moment before he started saying how the article must be true then and you were manipulating me. Mum tried to shut him up, but then dad came to James’ aid and backed him up. My dad hadn’t said anything on the matter of you and me dating up until that moment.

“Anyway, the room exploded. I was screaming at my dad, you know, the whole thing hurt coming from James but coming from my dad as well, it made it worse. My mum came to my aid, which meant she’s also in an argument with my dad. James is still furious at me and Lily took a more neutral stance, though she did interject quite a lot to say how much of a lovely person you are, so she took to my side more. After a lot of broken pieces of furniture thanks to my flyaway, uncontrollable emotion-ridden magic, I flooed to my grandmas and stayed with her the rest of the holiday, which is why I told you to send any letters there.”

Instinctively, Scorpius tightened his grip around Albus, hugging him from the awkward position he was in. Albus visibly relaxed from the comfort.

“That sounds like it really sucked,” Scorpius was shit at comforting people, he never really had anyone to learn those type of social skills from. Any conflict in his family never lasted long – his parents hated fighting and Scorpius had no siblings to argue with. “Thank you, for defending me, though.”

“I’ll always defend you, they were being ridiculous.”

“Still, it was at the cost of arguing with your family,” Scorpius thought _he_ sounded sadder about the argument that Albus did.

“They’ll come around, they just have to meet you first and see how loveable you are.” Scorpius snorted.

“What makes you think that’ll be so easy?” He couldn’t keep the self-deprecating tone from his voice.

“Because they’ll see why I love you,” Scorpius gasped and stiffened at the confession. Albus barely seemed to notice his own slip up.

“I-” he wanted to say it back, but the word wouldn’t respond to his tongue. He did feel like that, and that terrified him more than anything in this entire world. Feeling it and admitting it are two entirely different things. “That’s sweet,” he decided brushing it off seemed better, as Albus barely noticed his own words.

“What about you, huh? What’s wrong?” Albus asked, changing the subject, which Scorpius was thankful for. His voice was gentle as he stroked a hand through Scorpius’ hair. Scorpius rested his head on Albus’ chest and started drawing constellations over his chest.

“Things have just been really hard at home,” he admitted. “Dad gets night terrors a lot and it used to be mum who dealt with it, you know, held him while he sobbed and brewed him sleeping potions. But, ever since she died, they’ve been getting worse and it’s been up to me to help him. But, it’s hard when I suffer from nightmares, too. They were getting better, but something must have triggered them because about a week before school started, they got bad again. I haven’t slept properly because I’ve been looking after him, sometimes having to brew potions early in the morning because we’d run out. I got a lot of schoolwork done though, I’d sit at his desk listening to him mumble in his sleep. It’s weird, my whole childhood my dad was always so put together and stoic, it’s only recently I realised all of it’s an act. He’s really not as tough as he comes across.”

Albus pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and tightened his grip around him.

“You’re worried about him?”

Scorpius nodded. “I was going to stay home a few more days, but he basically dragged me to the station and forced me on the train.”

“Your dad has been through so much and he’s still standing, Scorpius. He’s stronger than you think,” Albus assured. He was right, Scorpius knew that. His father was the epitome of trauma and yet he had still accomplished so much. He had raised a healthy child and supported his mother through her illness, all while battling his own demons. Scorpius admired him greatly, even if the rest of the world wanted nothing but to scorn him.

“I know,” he mumbled back.

“Is that everything?”

“Nate- Nathan,” he corrected, “sent three more letters, mostly of the same content, and keeps hanging around. He keeps saying how you could never lov- like me like he does or some bullshit. He’s trying to fuck with my head.”

Albus stroked his head, as though telling him that it couldn’t be fucked with.

Scorpius pulled himself up, twisting his body awkwardly so he could look at Albus. He eyes instantly softened when Scorpius’ gaze landed on him.

“You don’t have to worry about him though, I’m all you,” Scorpius whispered. There was a luminescent green light from the lake shimmering through a gap in the curtain, painting Albus’ skin a pale green which complemented his eyes perfectly. He looked radiant, and not for the first time, Scorpius thought how much better he’d look in green Slytherin robes.

“I’m not worried,” he replied, using the hand he had in Scorpius’ hair to pull him closer and connected their lips.

Scorpius adjusted himself, so his chest was on Albus’, propped up by one elbow whilst the other hand ran through the other boys hair. His one leg lay lazily over the top of Albus’ thigh whilst the other was stretched out on the bed, still close enough to be touching him. He melted into Albus’ lips, their bodies close as their lips moved together in sync. Albus’ hands moved from Scorpius’ hair to underneath his shirt, exploring every inch of skin hidden beneath it. He gasped when Albus’ cold hands touched his warm skin, which made Albus giggle against his lips.

The sound of distant voices becoming closer to the dorm barely registered with Scorpius. That was until the door opened and the voices became very familiar. He pulled away from Albus quickly, replacing his lips with a finger to silence him.

“Scor, they can’t hear us,” he mumbled against his finger, an amused edge to his voice.

“Shh,” he shunned. Albus did, and his eyes widened when he recognised the voices too.

“Why should I help you?” The first voice asked, that Scorpius instantly recognised as George.

“Don’t you want us back? Our trio, the three musketeers, the three amigos?” The second voice – Nathan – pleaded back.

“Scorpius has made it very clear that he wants nothing to do with us anymore,” George bit back. Scorpius froze at the sound of his name. He suddenly felt like he was intruding in on a conversation he definitely was not meant to hear.

“Scorpius will come around, he can’t stay mad at anyone.”

“He’s still mad at us, and it’s been months. He’s also happy, Nathan, leave him be,” for a moment, Scorpius thought George actually still cared about him. He quickly shook the thought.

“He’s not happy, how could he be?” Scorpius tightened his grip on Albus, hoping that the words didn’t sting him too hard. They weren’t exactly directed at him, but the implications were obvious.

“You’re just jealous. You’re still so hung up on him! It’s why we broke up remember, you couldn’t get over your jealousy of Albus.”

“I’m not jealous of Albus, nor am I hung up on Scorpius!” Funny, that’s not what he told Scorpius earlier that day. “Look, Albus is not a threat to me. Scorpius is just doing his Scorpius thing, he clings onto people and that person just happened to be Albus because he showed him a sliver of interest. They won’t last, and when they inevitably break up, I’m going to be there to pick up the pieces.”

Suddenly feeling vulnerable, Scorpius removed his arms from Albus to try and dissuade Nathan’s words, but Albus never gave him the chance and pulled him right back. He smiled against his chest, clutching on tighter. Scorpius was worried that Albus would flee at any given moment, but the way he squeezed Scorpius back showed how irrational his thoughts were.

“He. Doesn’t. Want. You.” George spat back, emphasising each word. “Nobody does.” Scorpius didn’t need to see Nathan to know the hurt look that had crept onto his features. For the first time in a while, Scorpius didn’t feel the need to comfort him until that look went away. That was a small victory.

“You don’t want me?” His voice sounded wounded. Albus scoffed which caused Scorpius to giggle.

“Not anymore. I thought we wanted each other but turns out I was just a shag because you couldn’t get that off Scorpius. I was willing to put him through that pain because I thought what we had was real, but it wasn’t. We hurt him, and I’ve never regretted anything more in my life.”

“Bullshit,” Scorpius scoffed. Albus tightened his grip.

Nathan seemed stuck for words because there was a long silence before George spoke up again.

“Just fuck off, Nathan. Out of my life and out of his,” he sounded tired now.

“I’m not giving up. We were the ultimate trio, people looked up to us. I’ll get us back, Georgie, I promise.”

“Don’t bother.” George spat. Scorpius heard a dramatic sigh followed by a body collapsing onto a bed and the curtains being drawn furiously. The loud slamming of the dorm room door indicated that Nathan had stormed out. Scorpius almost felt guilty at the soft sobs emitting from the bed next to his.

Scorpius sat up, feeling the same urge to cry but fighting against it. Albus sat up, too. He wrapped his arms around Scorpius’ waist and rested his chin on his shoulder.

“Come on,” Albus whispered against him, speaking in between pressing kisses to his neck. “Let’s get some sleep,” he clearly was as stuck for words as Scorpius was.

Albus pulled Scorpius back down on the bed, tangling their bodies together before pulling the duvet over them. Albus stroked his hair whilst Scorpius listened intently to his beating heart until it was the last thing he heard before sleep overcame him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Draaaamaaaaaaa! Honestly, Nathan needs to sort his bloody head out!  
> Hope you like! Let me know what you think :)  
> Drawing by: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ as usual :))


	14. Strangers Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter of this title is inspired by the song "Strangers Again" by Against The Current which was recommended to me a couple of chapters ago by thetasteofsunshine because they said it reminded them of Scorpius' and Nathans' relationship. I gave it a listen and has honestly become my new favourite song (so thank you!) and it does scarily fit the two of them, which is why I chose that name for this title. If you know the song (or if you don't, go listen) then you'll understand why I chose this chapter for it.  
> Thank you all again for your support, I am so humbled by you all and I love every single one of you!   
> We're so close to the end now, I hope you've enjoyed reading this emotional roller coaster as much as I loved writing it! Here's chapter 14!

Scorpius entered the Great Hall with a seriously uneasy feeling. He wasn’t exactly sure on the source of the uneasiness, he just knew that not even his hand clasped in Albus’ provided a little comfort. Albus seemed to notice the discomfort and gave his hand a gentle squeeze before leading him over to the Gryffindor table.

He didn’t understand. The morning had been perfect. He woke up contently to Albus kissing his forehead, wrapped up in his arms. Every part of their bodies was entangled in some way. It seemed to them both that if they weren’t touching in every way, the world would crash and burn around them. And in that moment, Scorpius wouldn’t have cared if the world burned in a fiery calamity as long as he was with Albus as the flames engulfed them. And even then, he was sure they’d survive the disaster because together, they were fireproof.

They spent the morning in blissful kisses and cuddles, until both their stomachs – and the knowledge that their first class was creeping upon them - decided it was time to join the world for breakfast. The uneasiness began as soon as he stepped out of bed, as though it was being away from Albus that caused the feeling. But when Albus joined his side on their walk through the castle, the uneasiness only grew as they gained on the Great Hall, watered by the distant buzzing of chatter.

“Hey Scorpius!” Lily greeted as they sat down opposite her. He hadn’t noticed they’d even made it to the table, but her enthusiastic tone brought his head back to the table. “Sleep well?”

“Hey, Albus, how are you? Good, thanks, Lily and you?” Albus grumpily mumbled next to him. “I’m only her bloody brother, sure talk to my boyfriend first.” The sound of Albus’ grumps and Lily’s giggles caused the uneasy feeling to dissipate in a second and Scorpius find himself giggling along with Lily.

“So sulky, Al. Honestly, Scorpius, how do you deal? You’re like the definition of sunshine whilst moody over here is your polar opposite,” she pointed her fork in Albus’ direction before stabbing it into a sausage.

“You mean the moon? Dark, beautiful, mysterious, but can light up the world in the darkest of times?” Scorpius teased, a huge grin on his face. A blush spread across Albus’ cheeks and Lily rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, see, you even turn that good!”

“Mum always said there’s good in every evil.”

“Are you calling me evil?” Lily’s grin dropped.

“Oh- no, no-no-no,” Scorpius scrambled, “it’s just an expression, I wasn’t- I didn’t mean- I’m sorry-” Lily cut him off with a flood of giggles. Albus started laughing too.

“She’s pulling your leg, Scor,” Albus informed him. Scorpius placed a hand over his rapidly beating heart, willing for it to calm.

“Oh.”

Lily collapsed into even more fits of laughter, but Scorpius still wasn’t finding it very funny. Still, he chuckled nervously, and Albus’ hand on his thigh calmed his nervous disposition. It was a stupid thing to get upset or nervous over, it was just a joke, but it made the uneasy feeling return.

Ignoring Lily’s laughs, Scorpius began piling food onto his plate, hoping that food would crush the uneasy feeling in his stomach. He chewed slowly, but it only made him feel nauseous. He was almost eager to travel up to the Divination classroom to get his future read, because surely there was a reason behind why he felt like his world would come crashing down.

He immediately thought of his dad and pulled a quill and some parchment from his bag. Albus watched him intently as he wrote the letter in haste – his handwriting particularly sloppy compared to how he normally wrote. His dad would no doubt scold him on that but right now he was too worried to think about that.

The anxiety eased slightly when the letter was drafted, and he put the letter in his bag and swung it over his shoulder, standing up.

“I need to go to the Owlery before class, coming?” He asked Albus, who was halfway through a piece of toast. He flicked his eyes to Scorpius’ plate then back to Scorpius.

“You’ve hardly touched your food, you need to eat. Sit down, your dad is fine, and the letter can wait, don’t you have a free period after first?” Scorpius obliged, sitting back down at Albus’ request. He ignored Lily watching him curiously. “What’s up with you this morning?” Albus hadn’t asked until now, but clearly felt like Scorpius’ anxiety was getting too much to ignore.

“I don’t know,” Scorpius replied, running his hands through his hair. His leg shook relentlessly as his heartbeat started increasing. “I just have a bad feeling and my anxiety is making it worse.”

“Well, just breathe okay? Nothing bad is going to happen,” Albus grabbed his hands so he would stop running them through his hair and look at him. His intense green-eyed stare calmed him slightly, enough for him to nod. When Albus released his hands, Scorpius picked up a piece of toast and began numbly chewing away at it.

He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking and he felt stupid for panicking over literally _nothing._ It was stupid and childish. He could almost hear his dads words now: _just wait until you really have something to cry over._ His father had never meant the words when he said them over Christmas. He was overwhelmed with one of his nightmares and Scorpius was tired and hated seeing him so hopeless that he started crying. That was when his father got angry and said those words to him. He immediately apologised after because he realised that, actually, Scorpius had plenty to cry over.

“Don’t hold your breath,” Lily mumbled, shooting a look at someone coming from behind them. Scorpius looked her confused before turning and seeing Nathan half-way to the Gryffindor table, his eyes set on Scorpius and Scorpius only. He instinctively grabbed Albus’ hand.

He could feel Albus’ anger seethe as Nathan grew closer, and he rubbed a thumb over his knuckles to try to calm him. Scorpius tried to keep his own anxiety at bay, but his heartbeat increased rapidly with every step.

“Scorpius, can we talk?” Nathan asked as he approached the table. He didn’t bother looking at Albus or Lily, he apparently only had eyes for Scorpius. Scorpius stood up, feeling too vulnerable with such a height difference. Nathan probably just wanted to tell him – again – that he was sorry, but Scorpius was done, and could feel the anger bubbling. Maybe that’s why he had such an uneasy feeling. The conversation they’d overheard the night before must have kickstarted it.

“No, we can’t,” he surprised himself when his voice came out steady.

“Just hear me out? I’m sorry, okay? Truly.” Scorpius rolled his eyes. Albus had stood up next to him, keeping his hand firmly in his. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I regret ever doing that,” he tried to reach forward for Scorpius’ free hand, but Scorpius pulled back quickly.

“The damage has been done, _Nathan,_ ” he emphasised his full name, “and I’m getting rather tired of playing these games.” People from other tables had stopped their conversations, intrigued by the conflict occurring between them.

“I just want you back,” he pleaded. Scorpius raised his and Albus’ conjoined hands in show.

“Sometimes in life we don’t always get what we want,” he replied, waving their hands. Albus sniggered slightly beside him and Lily let out a full-blown snort. Finally, Nathans' eyes moved from Scorpius to their conjoined hands, and his face contorted from desperate to anger in a moment, like a child who’d just been told ‘no’ for the first time.

“But, you were mine first!” He exclaimed, throwing his arms down to his side in what looked like the beginning of a tantrum. Scorpius found himself thankful for getting out of that relationship when he did.

“I’m not anybody’s,” he shouted, losing himself to the seething anger. “I’m a person not a fucking object,” he heard a few girls whoop behind him, though he could never tell who they were. He could, however, just make out Lily’s cheer. Nathan visibly winced at his profanity – Scorpius never used to be much of a swearer.

Albus edged closer to Scorpius so their arms were touching. The warmth he emitted calmed Scorpius slightly. When Nathan refused to speak up, Scorpius pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand and took a deep breath. He was secretly hoping that Nathan would have disappeared during the time Scorpius had closed his eyes, but he had no such luck.

“It’s not my fault that Albus treats me better than you ever did,” Scorpius spoke, his tone eerily smooth. A flicker of anger passed through Nathan’s eyes which seemed to gnaw away at him, because he exploded.

“Come on, Scorpius! You don’t really believe that crap, do you? Do you genuinely think he could love you at all, let alone better than I did? I thought you were smart, I never took you for someone as naïve as that,” Nathan shouted. Scorpius tried to hide the hurt he felt by clenching his jaw to stop it from quivering. He swallowed the lump in his throat and held his chin up.

“What’s wrong with believing that?” His voice wobbled slightly, but it was surprisingly level.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Nathan took a step closer to him, lowering his voice into an intimidating tone. Scorpius wanted to step back but held his ground. “ _No one_ can love you, Scorpius,” a stinging pain shot through his heart. “You’re unlovable,” he scorned. He couldn’t quite figure out how the conversation took a painstaking turn, what had switched from Nathan being apologetic to hurtful. He wasn’t sure which one was the act, either.

Tears burned away at Scorpius’ eyes as they threatened to spill over his cheeks. He tried to force them back, eager not to cry over the words. The problem was they were words he had been so convinced of his entire life. He had truly believed he could never be loved because his whole life he’d been ridiculed for just existing. It was Nathan who changed all those perceptions he had on himself, he had single-handedly built Scorpius’ self-esteem from the ground to the sky. The problem was he had no intentions of catching Scorpius when he pushed him from the top and favoured watching as he plummeted to the floor.

Scorpius began shaking from the withheld emotion, knowing that soon he’d explode in pitiful colours of black and white, the tears watering his bruised self-esteem.

He _was_ unlovable.

But how could he be? Albus had confessed to loving him last night – whether he realised it or not. Albus was standing next to him right now, holding his hand in reassurance. Albus was kind. He wouldn’t manipulate Scorpius in any way - not the way Nathan did; not the way Nathan always had. And even assuming that made him just as bad – if not worse – than Rita Skeeter who accused Scorpius of the same thing.

Albus seemed to notice his spiralling and turned Scorpius to face him by the shoulders.

“Scor, don’t you dare listen to him, okay?” Albus had taken to grabbing Scorpius’ cheeks with his hands. “He’s just trying to fuck with your head as he always does. Look, _I_ love you. I really do.” Albus was staring so intently into Scorpius eyes that he felt grounded in that spot. Green eyes locked on grey.

“You… _love_ me?” He asked, tentatively. He felt for sure he would cry now. Albus nodded fervently. “I l-” his voice was trembling. _Say it, Scorpius._ “I lo-” the word caught in his throat. _Say it, for fuck sake, say it. You love him. You just have to tell him. Say it._

“It’s okay,” Albus cut him off, stroking a thumb over his cheek. “I know,” and just like that, Scorpius felt his heart ease up.

“Oh, bullshit,” Nathan scorned. Albus and Scorpius ignored him.

“He just can’t accept the fact that we’re happy and he’s miserable,” Albus continued with his earlier speech.

“Do you really expect me to believe you’re happy?” Nathan interrupted, causing Albus and Scorpius to turn their attention back to him. “Scorpius, he’s manipulating you! He’s a Potter, how could he ever love a Malfoy? Your family are scum and so are you.”

“STOP IT!” Scorpius screamed. “Just shut the fuck up, Nathan. You don’t know anything. You don’t know shit about my family and you don’t know shit about Albus’ family. You don’t know anything about either of us!” He was writhing in anger. “You think you’re all high and fucking mighty, you hold yourself on a _fucking_ pedestal and look down on people you think are below you.”

Scorpius challenged him by stepping closer, unsure of where his newfound confidence had come from. Maybe Albus’ Gryffindor-ness was wearing off on him.

“Then, you manipulate those people. You did it to me, because clearly our relationship was nothing but an act to you. Clearly, it meant nothing. And you know people are so quick to throw around the word ‘manipulate’. It’s what the Prophet accused me of with Albus and, coincidentally, with you. It’s what you’re accusing Albus of. But, have you stopped to consider the actual only manipulative personality here is you?

“People have also been throwing around their regrets, too,” Scorpius continued before anyone had the chance to interrupt him. He was on a roll. “I heard George say his biggest regret was hurting me, I’ve heard you say the same. Want to know mine, Nathan?”

Nathan never responded, he just continued staring at him with half a kicked puppy expression, and half anger seething through him.

“My biggest regret is you. My biggest regret is ever deciding you were worth my time, ever worth my heart. But, at the same time I’m kind of thankful because you taught me a few things. You taught me that I _am_ strong. Our entire relationship was based on me being the damsel in distress, being weak and vulnerable and I played into it like a damned fool. And maybe when you pushed me from the top of your pedestal, I broke every bone in my body. But, I recovered. _I_ pulled myself up from the darkness of my depression. _I_ did that. You never believed I could. But here I am, standing strong.”

Nathan didn’t really seem to process anything Scorpius said. Instead, he scoffed, rolled his eyes and turned to Albus.

“He won’t shag you, you know? If that’s what you’re looking for.” Scorpius felt his cheeks burn. That had been one the worst things about the break up, how his non-existent sex life had been the height of gossip for months because Nathan felt the need to justify his cheating.

Albus narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m not just looking for a _shag_. I’m emotionally mature enough to realise that being in a relationship isn’t all about sex, a talent you’re sorely lacking.” Lily snorted behind them and Scorpius felt his own lips curl into a smug smile. To his dismay, Nathan smiled too.

“Sure, Albus,” he flicked a glance at Scorpius, “but he gets boring after a while, and annoying, don’t you, Scorpius?” Nathan patted a hand on his shoulder, a stupidly smug smile on his lips. Scorpius tried to not to let the insults get to him.

But there were true, right? He was just boring, sad, annoying little Scorpius who nobody could love.

_No, I’m not._

_Yes, unlovable and destined to be lonely._

_No._

_Yes._

He was ripped from his internal debate when he felt Nathan’s hand fly rapidly from his shoulder, only to realise Albus had pushed it with sheer force and determination and stepped in front of Scorpius.

“Don’t you dare touch him again,” he thundered. Scorpius didn’t need to see his face to see the anger storming through his emerald eyes.

Scorpius spoke: “Albus,” at the same time Nathan retorted: “Or what?”

Albus ignored Scorpius in favour of rising to Nathan’s bait.

“Or, I’m going to bat-bogey hex you so badly it would put my mum to shame,” he threatened. Beside him, Lily chuckled – when she had moved next to him, Scorpius wasn’t sure. She stood fiercely with her arms crossed, though Scorpius didn’t miss her wand in one fist.

“Ooh, aren’t I scared?” He jibed, waving his hands in a ridiculous motion. Scorpius himself felt the need to punch him – and he had never considered that before in his life. Scorpius very much favoured his wand, but even then, he had only ever hexed one person in his life. Coincidentally, that person was Nathan when Scorpius had caught them cheating. And even then, it had only been the Jelly Legs Curse; Scorpius clearly didn’t have it in him to hex people. He didn't have a bad bone in his body.

Albus pulled his wand out smoothly and pressed it against Nathan throat. “You should be.”

Nathan laughed. _Laughed._

Then, as though he wanted Albus to follow up on his threat, he reached around and poked Scorpius in the ribs – unnecessarily harshly – which caused Scorpius to flinch. Albus never even hesitated, the incantation had left his mouth before Scorpius or Nathan could even process the situation. Within seconds, grown life-size bats were flying rapidly from Nathan’s nose.

It was haunting. Scorpius felt sick as he watched the bats exit his nose and flutter randomly across the hall, some causing some other students inconvenience. It was the blood that scared him the most, though. There was so much of it and for a moment, Scorpius thought he couldn’t stomach becoming a healer. He’d have to work on a less messy ward.

Nathan’s screams and sobs echoed throughout the Great Hall, louder than the laughs and chatter of students around them. Albus was surprisingly calm when the teachers crowded around them. Professor Longbottom – head of Gryffindor house – grabbed Albus by the arm and started silently scolding him whilst other Professors cast an anti-jinx spell. The bats soon stopped emerging from Nathan’s nose.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Albus shouted as he was being dragged away by Professor Longbottom. Lily laughed. Nathan looked at him with a horrified expression, writhing in pain. He looked at Scorpius next, but Scorpius just shrugged.

“Serves you right,” he scorned, then picked up his and Albus’ bags and ran after Albus and Professor Longbottom, leaving the Great Hall in distress and disarray.

 

* * *

 

 

“What on Earth was you thinking?” Neville scolded as he dragged Albus into his office. Albus, completely unfazed by his godfathers’ anger, shrugged and dumped himself down in a chair. Scorpius had caught up to them and had joined them in the office despite Nevilles' protests. Albus felt better with him here anyway.

He wondered how he was coping. It was no secret that Scorpius was generally quite sensitive, and the things Nathan had said would surely leave an emotional scar. Albus studied him, but Scorpius was straight-faced and not giving anything away. Albus felt angry at himself for not being able to see right through his stoic expression. He turned his attention back to his godfather.

“Clearly, I wasn’t,” he retorted. He wasn’t going to pretend like what he’d done was right, but he wasn’t going to pretend it was wrong either. Nathan deserved everything that came to him and more. Albus was just glad Scorpius didn’t seem angry with him at all.

“You could be in serious trouble for this, Albus.” Neville scolded. Still fuelling with anger, Albus shot up in his chair.

“Lily uses that curse all the time and she never gets punished beyond a weeks detention!” He protested.

“Lily is younger and less mature. You are in your sixth year, you should know better.”

“He was saying horrible things about my _boyfriend_ , I wasn’t about to stand there and watch, he’s the devils incarnate, Neville-”

“Professor Longbottom,” he interrupted.

“Whatever, just punish me or whatever, you clearly won’t listen to reason.”

“It was my fault,” Scorpius interjected. When he received confused looks from both Albus and Neville, he continued. “Of a sort. They were fighting over me, so that makes it my fault…” he spoke, trailing off towards the end. He must have realised his words wouldn’t make a difference. Neville sighed, exasperated.

“Mr. Malfoy, it is not your fault they were fighting, you didn’t even have your wand out. I appreciate you trying to take some of the heat from Albus, but it won’t work this time.” Scorpius slumped in his chair and mouthed a ‘sorry’ to Albus, who shrugged.

“So, my punishment?” Albus asked, bored of this conversation. He had never been in trouble before, surely Neville could go lightly on him – he was his godfather for Merlin’s sake.

“I’m taking 20 house points and you’ll be serving detention with me for a week,” he stated simply. That was okay, detention with Neville meant tending to plants, and Albus didn’t mind Herbology all that much.

“Fine.” He huffed.

“Also, I’m informing your dad,” this changed everything. Once again, Albus jumped up in his seat.

“WHAT? No, Neville please. No. Not dad, please,” he pleaded, clasping his hands in front of him. His dad would be so angry, especially because he hadn’t spoken to him since the argument. If he found out he was now hexing people in Scorpius’ defence, he would almost certainly screw. Now, his mother, however, would beam proudly at him and ask how well the spell had been performed. Albus much preferred that idea.

“I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, you do! You are literally making the choice right now! Please, tell my mum, not my dad!” He knew his mum wouldn’t tell his dad because: 1) they also weren’t talking until Harry apologises to Albus; and 2) she knew exactly how he’d react and know it wasn’t fair.

“I’m already drafting the letter to your father, you’re dismissed. I’ll see you at seven for your first detention.”

“Neville.” Neville looked up from his parchment to Albus’ pleading eyes.

“Dismissed, Albus.” Turns out his godfather could be just as harsh and stubborn as he was.

Albus huffed dramatically and rose from his seat. Scorpius swiftly followed, handing Albus his bag once they exited Professor Longbottom’s office. He walked down the hall in a strop, unconsciously heading to his first class, Scorpius struggled to keep up despite his longer legs.

“Can you believe he’s telling my dad? My _dad!_ He’s going to lose his mind, he’ll screw. I’m going to be disowned,” he ranted as they made their way through the castle. Albus caught a quick glance at Scorpius and saw a fond smile on his lips and his eyebrows raised questionably. “What?” Albus asked, his anger dissipating into amusement.

“You’re hot when you’re angry,” he replied. Albus was stunned at where he mustered up the courage to say that. For a moment, as he watched the smoulder in Scorpius eyes, he considered skipping class altogether and taking Scorpius back to his room where he would kiss him senselessly until they both forgot their own names. He quickly shook the thought, though it seemed to linger.

“You’re not angry…?” He asked, hesitantly.

Scorpius laughed. “No, why would I be angry? That was bloody brilliant, and no one’s ever stuck up for me before,” he grabbed Albus’ arm to pull them to a stop, “thank you.” Albus could tell he sincerely meant it. All the anger he felt had disappeared entirely, it was something he was coming to label as the Scorpius Effect. No matter how Albus was feeling, whether it was angry or sad or numb, just one look into Scorpius’ enticing grey eyes could have those feelings replaced with ardour in an instance.

“The look on his face makes the detentions so worth it,” Albus reminisced. Scorpius started laughing and Albus basked in the sound of it.

“Yeah, although you should watch your back,” Scorpius replied through chuckles.

“I’m not scared of him.”

“Of course you’re not, my brave little Gryffindor,” Scorpius cooed, stroking a hand through Albus’ hair with a soppy grin on his face. Albus felt his own face uncontrollably form a mushy smile. “My knight in shining armour,” he mused. Albus shook his head.

“You don’t need one. You said it yourself, you’re strong.”

Scorpius beamed a smile brighter than the sun itself and Albus thought that if he died right then he would be happy knowing Scorpius smile was the last thing he’d see, and that he was the one who created it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE HAVE OUR FIRST (and only) OC DRAWING! Here's Nathan facing the Bat-Bogey Hex, by our lovely: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/
> 
> In conclusion of this chapter: Nathan is a dick. Albus sticks up for his boyfriend. And Scorpius proves he's stronger and fiercer than everyone thinks. My adorable brave boy <3
> 
> Thank you! Would love to hear your thoughts! Love you all! See you next time for the finale!


	15. All In.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are at the end! Oh gosh, I'm so not ready to let this fic go :'((( alas, here we are.  
> I did tell myself I wouldn't update until I'd done at least two lectures of revision today, but I only did one and here we are so here's to failing university because I love two dorks named Albus and Scorpius too much!  
> I am so thankful to all your support throughout this, honestly it has meant the world!   
> So, the ending! I really hope you guys have enjoyed it and I hope that I have done the ending justice for you! I would love to hear your thoughts, so don't be shy, I don't bite!

Scorpius had been outside the hospital wing for fifteen minutes trying to pluck up the courage to enter. He had scuffed his feet against each other more times than he could count, and he’d been wringing his hands together so much they were starting to get sore.

He knew – logically – that he shouldn’t be here. He knew that there was no way Nathan would want to see him, and he knew that he deserved everything he got. However – morally – that didn’t sit right with him. He felt the overwhelming need to check up on him, make sure he was okay, make sure the bleeding had stopped because Merlin, there had been so much blood.

Albus wasn’t too happy with the idea – especially with him going alone. But, he was still in his detention and Scorpius thought it best to visit him alone. However, now he was here, it seemed like a pretty bad idea.

He stopped pacing in front of the doors, looked down at his feet and scuffed his shoes together, took a deep breath, and pushed the double doors open.

The hospital wing was quiet, only a few beds were occupied with students. Nathan was closest to the door, they locked eyes immediately. Then, George – who was sat facing Nathan on the bed – turned and shot a pair of daggers in his direction. If looks could kill, Scorpius would be six feet under. He coughed away the lump in his throat and forced his legs in their direction.

“Hi,” he uttered, his voice annoyingly timid. Neither boy replied, they just looked at each other before looking back at Scorpius. Scorpius looked between them and noticed their hands entwined in Nathan’s lap. “You guys are back together?” He asked, unsure of how else to approach the situation. He didn’t want to apologise.

“What was _your boyfriend_ thinking?” George spat, the words sounding like poison on his tongue.

“He was just sticking up for me,” Scorpius defended, though the words were still so quiet that they never had any bite to them. He shouldn’t have come, he was starting to see that now.

“Thought you said you were strong,” Nathan now spoke up and George snorted at his comment. Scorpius was really regretting coming now, he just wished the floor would swallow him whole. It's sad, he thought, how these two boys were once his entire world. They once thought worlds of him, helped him, would move the skies for him. And now, they were just another lesson. Scorpius found himself - not for the first time - wishing things had turned out different. He would never give up Albus, not for the world, but if only there was a way that all this could have happened without the pain and heartache, without the lying and cheating, without the violence and manipulation. If only there was a way they all could have been friends still. It was a pipe dream.

“I was just checking you were okay, I’ll be going now,” Scorpius said, backing away from them slowly. George hopped out of the bed and crossed the room quickly to stand in front of Scorpius. He was slightly smaller than him, but the deathly glare made Scorpius feel two feet tall.

“How would your boyfriend like it if I hexed you?” He threatened. Scorpius backed up from his deadly gaze, but every step back he took, George took one forward. Scorpius had never seen him this angry before.

“I’m sure he’d be angry,” Scorpius timidly replied.

“DAMN RIGHT HE WOULD BE,” he shouted back, causing Scorpius to flinch against the wall. He ignored the throbbing in his head as it collided harshly with the wall. Where was Matron Abbot? Surely, she could hear the commotion.

“Okay, I understand, just I’m sorry, okay?”

Even without his wand drawn, George was angry enough to be threatening. His face was starting to glow red, as though he was holding his breath. Scorpius thought for sure that there’d be steam blowing from his ears any minute now. By his sides, George’s hands had curled into a fist.

He was on the floor before he even registered the collision. The pain came soon after, throbbing across his nose and cheek. Tears stung against his eyes as blood rushed down from his nose. He could taste the metal on his tongue.

“MR. ZABINI!” Someone shouted, Matron Abbot no doubt, but Scorpius could barely register anything besides the blood dripping down his face, the throbbing in his nose and George’s cracked knuckles now eye level with him.

Scorpius choked slightly on the blood that he managed to accidentally swallow. George was quickly taken out of his eye line and was replaced by Matron Abbot. She took his face in her hands and looked at him. When she pulled her own wand out, Scorpius panicked. If she treated him, it means she’d have to tell his dad about what happened, and he didn’t want his dad to know.

Scorpius shook out of her hands, scrambling quickly to his feet and ran from the hospital wing. He called hear her calling after him, but that didn’t stop him. He could barely register anything other than the taste of blood in his mouth and the sting of tears across his cheeks. He wasn’t sure which part was blood or water anymore, the two liquids had combined into one, leaving his face wet and weirdly dry at the same time. The pain throbbed through his face at an alarming rate.

How much blood has he lost? Was he meant to feel this dizzy?

He could barely think straight.

It wasn’t until he stumbled into the herbology classroom that he realised where he was. He locked eyes with Albus and completely broke down. He stumbled over to him and collapsed into his arms. Albus held him as he shook softly, his nose throbbing in sync with his shakes. Albus shushed into his ear calmingly, stroking his hair. Scorpius was thankful he wasn’t pressing for an explanation, because he didn’t really know what happened, it was all so fast.

“Mr. Malfoy, you shouldn’t be in here, this is det-” Professor Longbottom – now entering the classroom after popping out for a moment – cut himself off when he realised Scorpius was crying. He crossed the room quickly, placing a hand on Scorpius’ shoulder which slowly drew him out of Albus’ grip. Without Albus to hold him, Scorpius felt lost. He wrapped his arms around himself to shield himself from his vulnerability.

Before anyone could ask what happened, Matron Abbot came storming in, out of breath from running. Scorpius shifted his eyes into focus, landing on her and giving her an apologetic look. She seemed to shake it off as she crossed over to him, his face in her hands once again.

“Please don’t,” Scorpius begged, trying to pull his face away again.

“Scorpius, I think your nose might be broken, it needs fixing,” she said softly, placing a hand on his arm instead.

Scorpius shook his head. “If you treat me then you’ll have to contact my dad and he can’t know about this.”

“Are you worried your dad will be angry?” Professor Longbottom asked.

“No,” Scorpius half-screamed. Albus took his hand to calm him, it had an immediate effect. “He’ll worry, and he’s got enough to worry about without worrying about me as well.”

“Someone needs to fix it,” Matron Abbot said now, even softer than her previous tone. Scorpius knew why she was a good healer, her bed-side manner was incredible. He was still emitting soft sobs, though the pain had dulled now. The blood had stopped flowing, and Scorpius reached his hand up to wipe it away, realising too late that his bare hand wasn’t the best thing for that. Albus conjured a tissue for him.

“Thank you,” he said, his voice still wobbly. Albus gave him a soft smile and stroked his cheek.

“That’s going to bruise,” he spoke. Scorpius chuckled. He couldn’t even imagine how bad he looked right now, Albus would be a saint if he still fancied him after this.

“It might make me look pretty badass,” Scorpius joked and Albus chuckled softly with him. Scorpius turned then back to Professor Longbottom and Matron Abbot – who were still looking upon him with worry. “You can do it, but only if you promise me not to tell my dad. Please,” he begged.

They shared a dubious look, communicating without words. After a short while of unspoken conversations, Matron Abbot nodded and turned back to Scorpius. Matron Abbot had treated Scorpius many times due to his clumsiness on a broom and knew exactly how stubborn he could be. There was no getting out of this deal even if she tried and she knew it. She nodded to Scorpius as well, squeezing his arm slightly. She lifted her wand and performed a healing spell, fixing his nose with a short – but painful – crack. Scorpius winced, but the pain was gone in an instant.

Scorpius turned to Albus and fiddled slightly with his collar. “I got blood all over you, I’m sorry.”

“Nothing Hannah or Neville can’t fix,” he shrugged, looking at the two adults. Neville obliged and cleaned the blood off both of them. Scorpius’ face felt immediately cleaner, the crusting blood no longer tightening his face.

“Thank you,” Scorpius said to both of them. They nodded.

“Now, what’s going on? I’m asking as Albus’ godfather, not as a Professor,” Neville said, looking between them, his gaze lingering on Scorpius. Scorpius and Albus shared a glance.

“Can I talk to Albus first, please? And then I’ll explain,” Scorpius asked tentatively. Again, Neville and Hannah shared a look before nodding and disappearing out the classroom.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Albus jumped at Scorpius, his arms wrapping around his neck. Scorpius – momentarily taken aback – wrapped his arms around Albus’ waist and pulled him close. It felt so good to hold him in his arms. It felt like it’d been weeks, not merely hours, but right then, Scorpius never wanted to let him go. It was Albus who pulled back first, but only enough so they could look at each other. He locked his captivating green eyes on Scorpius’ and raised an eyebrow. Scorpius already knew what he was asking without saying anything.

“George… punched me,” he spoke, unsure of the reaction he’d get.

“George? Wait… why… WHAT?” The shift from confusion to anger was dramatic. Scorpius moved his arms, so his hands were resting on Albus' hips. He rubbed his thumb in circles over Albus’ hipbone to try and calm him. The effect seemed almost immediate.

“Please don’t retaliate, it’ll only escalate,” he pleaded. Albus looked like he was going to protest but thought against it. He nodded.

“Why did he do it?” He voice was surprisingly calm considering how he really felt.

“To make you angry. He said that- well, his exact words were ‘how would your boyfriend like it if I hexed you’. So, I guess they’re back together which seems ridiculous to me, why would you even want to be with someone like Nathan?” Albus opened his mouth to interrupt. “Don’t answer that,” Scorpius scolded. Albus closed his mouth, but that didn’t stop the smirk creeping on his lips.

“Are you okay?” He asked, running his fingers through the back of Scorpius’ hair.

“I am, just a little shocked is all. I’ve never been punched before. Surprisingly. I tend to get on people’s nerves,” he covered up his self-deprecation with a chuckle. Unfortunately, Albus saw right through it.

“You’re perfect to me,” he spoke, leaning up to peck him on the lips. Scorpius smiled against him.

“Can I stay with you tonight?” Scorpius asked. He was nervous about going back to the dorm, knowing George and Nathan would probably return before curfew. He would like to avoid them for as long as possible. The thought of dropping out of Hogwarts crossed his mind again, but it quickly dissipated with the knowledge that Albus probably wouldn’t come with him. He was a Gryffindor; Gryffindor’s don’t run away from their problems.

“Of course you can,” he smiled. Scorpius wondered exactly how he got so lucky with Albus. There was a time he thought he’d never be able to love again or be loved. Albus was a blessing sent from above to fix all those negative assumptions. Maybe his mum really was looking after him.

Hannah and Neville re-entered at that moment. Albus and Scorpius pulled away from each other hastily. Together, the two explained their current sticky situation with the knowledge that they were telling family, not teachers. They took turns explaining, Scorpius starting because the background was fairly important. They concluded with how Nathan had been taunting Scorpius for weeks, and that Albus lost his temper with the hex because of the awful things he’d said, followed by George punching Scorpius for payback.

Neville assured them that he’ll keep an eye on all of them to make sure nothing happened again – Scorpius didn’t want to point out how impossible that would be. He dismissed them both shortly after as curfew was fast approaching. They held hands all the way back to the Gryffindor common room, but Scorpius walked straight passed it, pulling Albus with him.

“Where are we going?” Albus asked, but Scorpius ignored him in favour of a small smile. He led Albus through the remainder of the castle and up the stairs to the Astronomy Tower.

It had been where they first – properly – met, where they had their first kiss and where Scorpius felt most comfortable for what he was about to do next. He unlocked the door with a charm and led him through, dropping his hand to walk to the balcony. The winter sun had long set, and the stars were out in full force.

“Scorpius, right?” Albus asked, coming up beside him and pointing up at his constellation. Scorpius tried not to smile too much, those were also the first words Albus said to him all those months ago when he found him crying up here. They had come such a long way. Scorpius was a different person back then - heartbroken, numb, sad but trying to hide it all with a fake smile. Albus saw through it. Albus helped him grow. Albus had saved him in every way.

Scorpius beamed, looking directly at the stars. There was no coincidence that the brightest star in the sky belonged his constellation tonight. His mum was watching over him. “Right,” Scorpius confirmed. Scorpius stole a glance at Albus, but he was already looking at him.

“Almost as beautiful as you,” he whispered. Scorpius grinned harder, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “So, why are we here?”

Scorpius turned to face him. “I need to tell you something… and,” he took a deep breath. “It’s something that I’ve been struggling to say, not because I didn’t feel it but because I…” he looked back out to the stars, begging for an ounce of his mum’s strength. “I was scared to admit it,” he looked down, wringing his hands together. Albus grabbed them and Scorpius looked at him. He never said anything, waiting for Scorpius to finish like the kind, patient human he was.

“I figured up here would be best, with my mum looking down on me and in the spot where this started,” he was definitely only talking now to procrastinate. He cursed himself silently.

_Just fucking say it._

_Say it, you coward. Go on._

“I love you,” he said, voice clear. As soon as the words left his mouth he felt instant relief. The grin that spread across Albus’ face could win wars and cure blood malediction. He was radiant and Scorpius heart swelled with love and pride.

There was a vulnerability in saying those three words. It opened your heart and put it in the hands of someone else. They had already promised each other they would never break their hearts, but saying it, admitting you love someone, is one of the most nerve-racking things. But watching Albus smile, watching him accept Scorpius' love wholly was truly something special. He may have taken a long time to get to this point, he may have been scared to trust and open up, but he got here in the end. He was here, happy and in love with a whole new person. If someone had told Scorpius eight months ago that he would be in love with a completely different person, he would never have believed them. Yet, here he was. And he would never, ever give Albus up.

“I love you, too, you idiot,” he spoke, fondly. Albus wrapped his arms around Scorpius, jumping into Scorpius arms and kissed him thoroughly. Albus wrapped his legs around his waist and Scorpius held him firmly in place as their lips danced together in a fiery passion. If Scorpius had a pensieve, he would choose this moment to saviour forever.

 

* * *

 

 

Albus was woken rather violently by the bright winter sunlight shining through the window, which had crept onto his bed when someone ripped his curtains open. Expecting it to just be Yann, Albus rolled over, only then remembering there was another person in his bed. Albus smiled and buried his head into Scorpius neck, throwing an arm around him.

“Albus Severus Potter." That wasn’t Yann. Albus gulped, daring to remove his head from between Scorpius and the pillow to open a single eye. It met his fathers’ glare instantly. His mum was standing back slightly, shaking her head. She clearly didn’t agree with his fathers’ intrusion either. Albus guessed they got Neville’s owl then.

“Dad, what the fuck?” He cursed, emphasising his profanity. Beside him, Scorpius slowly stirred. Albus silently cursed his dad for making him miss how adorable sleepy, confused Scorpius would look right now.

“Get up,” his father spoke, his voice firm. “And you,” he pointed to Scorpius, “get away from him.”

“W-Wha?” Scorpius mumbled sleepily, clearly not fully caught up. Neither was Albus to be honest.

“Harry,” Ginny scolded. Albus met eyes with his mother, who sent him an apologetic smile.

“What were you thinking?” His father ignored his mother, and half dragged Albus out of bed. Scorpius – finally catching up on the situation – dove out the bed on the other side. He quickly pulled on one of Albus’ jumper, probably so he wouldn’t feel so exposed in just his pyjamas. Scorpius wrapped his arms around himself, and Albus – once again – silently cursed his dad for making him feel vulnerable.

“People have been asking that a lot lately,” he replied, sarcasm thick in his tone. Harry’s jaw tightened, but behind them, Ginny snorted. She crossed the room to Scorpius.

“What happened to you?” She asked softly, lifting his chin so she could inspect him. As predicted, there was a thick black bruise circling his eye and across his nose. Albus’ heart constricted. He pushed it down, allowing Scorpius to talk quietly to his mum. Albus turned back to his father.

“Fighting? Albus? For him?” Harry half-shouted. Albus was silently grateful for his small growth spurt that now put him at the same height as his father, it made him feel less like a child.

“Yes, dad, for him. Because people like to be nasty to him and I won’t stand for it. So, go on,” he encouraged. “Say every horrible thing you’re thinking about him and when you’re done, I’ll bat-bogey hex you, too.”

His father was taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting the fight. That was silly, he and Albus always fought. He and his father clashed like denim on denim, which usually led to a dramatic explosion. Albus had inherited his father short-circuited anger. It was their short tempers – and James’ idiotic actions – as to why they were already fighting.

Then, his father did what Albus had never seen him do before in his whole entire life.

He looked at Albus, then to Scorpius, then back to Albus, then at Ginny – who now had her arm around his boyfriend – then to Scorpius, then back to Albus and _retreated._

“I’m sorry, Al.” Was his dad having an aneurysm? Albus had never heard him apologise to anyone other than his mum.

“Huh?” Albus asked, out of both confusion and the desire to hear him say it again. He saw even his mother shoot her head up at his apology.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have jumped to any conclusions and I should definitely have asked what all this was about. I don’t think you’ve ever been in trouble before, so it was quite shocking to hear it was you instead of Lily.”

“And because Scorpius was involved?” Albus asked, not fully forgiving his father just yet. He had way more than that to apologise for.

“I admit, yes,” he hung his head in shame. _Good,_ Albus thought, _feel guilty._

“Mr. Potter?” Scorpius’ timid voice came from the other side of the room. He moved from Ginny’s side to Albus’ in slow, awkward steps. He stopped next to him and Albus grabbed his hand. Harry watched the entire time he crossed the room, eyes wary. Though when Albus grabbed his hand, he thought his fathers’ gaze softened slightly.

“Yes?” He replied. Ginny had crossed the room too and now stood beside Harry – albeit, angrily.

“I know you may not like me, but- erm… I-I’m serious about your son,” Albus’ heart swelled with affection. In that moment, he felt utterly loved and appreciated. “I love him,” he admitted.

Albus still remembered the way his heart expanded at those words when Scorpius said them for the first time. He knew how hard it must have been for him. He remembered back in Scorpius’ room at the beginning of Christmas break when Scorpius wrapped his arms around him and whispered tentatively: _I really like you, I’m afraid to use a stronger word_. It was then Albus saw the true damage that Nathan had caused.

He could never understand the pain that Scorpius went through. Those days after the break-up had been hard enough watch, let alone live through. He was barely the broken shell of a person: underweight from lack of eating, paler but with constant puffy eyes from crying. But, it was that damned smile he wore every single day to cover up his true heartbreak that pained Albus the most. Nathan had taken a perfectly strong human being and destroyed him, until he could barely walk. He had pushed him from the tallest tower and refused to fix his broken bones.

His growth was admirable. The way he rose from the ground and fixed all his broken bones by himself, one by one, despite all the obstacles in his way. He overcame his heartbreak and it made him stronger. To say those words – to tell Albus he loved him – took more courage than the whole of Gryffindor had put together, and Scorpius had found that courage. Those words mended the last tiny gash in his heart.

Entering this relationship was terrifying for them both, but they worked through it together. Albus was more than happy that it was Scorpius he took that journey with. He hoped they would only grow stronger.

“L-love?” His father stuttered, clearly thinking they weren’t that serious.

“Yes, sir,” Scorpius replied.

“Yeah, dad,” Albus confirmed. Ginny beamed beside him and wrapped them both in a hug, mumbling about how proud she was of them both. Albus felt Scorpius stiffen under her grip before eventually accepting it. It hit Albus then that this was probably the first hug he’d had off a mother figure since his mum passed and his heart ached for him.

“Well, then. If it’s that serious, then I’m happy for you both,” Harry spoke, unsure of his words but he didn’t realise that they meant the world to Albus. That was all he wanted: acceptance. Now, he had that. Albus was hugging his dad before he even realised and he dad was hugging him back.

“Thanks, dad,” he mumbled into him.

When they finally pulled away, his dad shot Scorpius an awkwardly unsure smile; but it was a smile and Albus would take the victory. His parents said their goodbyes, clearly deciding that Albus’ hex was somehow justified and left the boys to it.

“Well…” Albus said, turning on his heels to face Scorpius. He was smiling. He looked incredibly small in Albus’ oversized hoody, which was big even for his height. “We have both our parents approvals now,” Albus beamed, wrapping his arms around Scorpius.

Scorpius stroked his hair, a distant look in his eye. “Did I ever thank you?”

Albus grimaced. “For what?”

“Just being there? Even from the beginning, you were somehow by my side through nearly everything. I don’t think you realise it, Albus, but you helped me a lot,” he was nearly crying. “The only reason I can stand here now and admit that I love you is because of you.” A single tear escaped his eye, Albus wiped it away gently. “I told you before that I think you saved me though I didn’t know what from. I think you saved my life, and my ability to love, and my faith in being loved. I know this is still very new, but I’m in it for the long run if you are.”

Albus thought he might explode from too much emotion. He was once again taken away with Scorpius Malfoy. He envied how he could always be so incredibly honest and kind. Albus hadn’t felt like he’d done much, but Scorpius clearly thought different. Because of that, he would be forever proud of the fact that he saved Scorpius Malfoy, in whatever way he’d managed to do it.

“I’m all in. I want you, and you don’t need to search for the proof that I should love you or reasons of why you’re worthy of love and why I should want you. Just know that I do no matter what and I’m also in this for the long run.” Scorpius beamed and leaned in for a sweet, gentle, chaste kiss. Albus pulled him closer and held him in a hug when their lips parted.

They’ve had a rough run so far. In their short relationship they had already overcome so many obstacles and came out stronger. Hopefully, they were done with that. What came before them doesn’t count anymore or even matter. Those demons that haunted Scorpius and the monsters that broke him, they were gone. Albus would never let anyone hurt him like that again, and that was a promise.

As they stood there, in each other’s arms, gently swaying to music unheard, Albus felt home. He felt loved and in love. He felt safe and protected.

“I’m glad I found you,” Scorpius whispered in his ear, the sound sending shockwaves through his body. If possible, Albus pulled him closer. “You helped me find myself.”

“I found myself because of you, too.” Albus pulled away enough to catch Scorpius’ eyes. Those iridescent silver eyes dancing elegantly in the beam of the winter sun shining through the windows. In the light, they looked alive, a mixture of grey and blue causing them to shine like the stars. Scorpius caught him in a kiss again, another gentle one like the way Scorpius always kissed him. Albus melted into him, eager to be close to him.

Albus was thankful for many things in his life, but whatever angel sent him Scorpius Malfoy deserved all the happiness in the world, because by sending Scorpius to Albus, he found all the happiness in the world wrapped up in a single boy.

He was happy. Scorpius was happy. He loved Scorpius and Scorpius loved him back.

Albus couldn’t think of anything more important than that as he deepened their kiss and the listened as the world fell away from them, leaving them tangled in their own desire and passion.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter art done by the usual and brilliant: https://secretlydreamingofgansey.tumblr.com/ who I just really want to say a massive thank you to for 1) reading this when I was first writing it and crying with me, and 2) doing all the incredible art work! I'm currently writing another fic which she will be doing the art for as well (will start posting soon, I only have one or two chapters left to write, maybe)  
> I'm going to leave my tumblr here now, just in case you guys ever wanted to speak or anything, I'd love to hear from you all so it's: https://anarcherboyandawarlock.tumblr.com/   
> Thank you all again! Till next time :)


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